Lewis Hamilton has slammed plans to move the Brazilian Grand Prix from Interlagos to a new venue in Rio de Janeiro.
Last year, the country’s president Jair Bolsonaro announced a circuit would be built in the suburb of Deodoro with Formula 1 hosting its first race there in 2020.
That is considered unlikely given Sao Paulo currently has a contract until the end of 2022 and the six-time world champion questioned the point in wasting resources on another racetrack.
“I’m a little old school, I love the Interlagos circuit,” he said on Thursday.
“I think honestly there is a lot of money that goes into building a new circuit and we already have a historic circuit here, so we don’t need to cut any more rainforest down, do any more damage.
“That money could go to better causes here, it could go to the infrastructure of the cities, there is a lot of poverty still.
“If it was my money, I would put it in a better cause. Education is super key, for example.”
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His Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas agreed, pointing to the history of Interlagos, which has hosted F1 non-stop since 1990.
“This is an iconic circuit where legendary races have taken place,” stated the Finn. “At least there will still be a race in Brazil, but it would be a shame to lose Interlagos.”
The new circuit in Rio is already touted to host MotoGP in the future and Sergio Perez was one of the few opposing voices.
“I always look forward to going to a new location, so I am quite open to it,” said the Mexican. “It can be a good place for Formula 1.”