The new routes allow for a broader action against social inequalities according to Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton indicated that, despite his attachment to historic circuits, the arrival of new circuits to attract the public to the tracks was not necessarily a bad thing.
Jeddah, Miami and more recently Las Vegas. In three years, three new urban circuits will be used by F1. With this expansion of new types of tracks within walls, the other more traditional circuits are understandably at risk for their place in the calendar for the upcoming years.
While Zak Brown believes that these new Grand Prix races will not have a negative impact on the presence of more traditional races, questions continue to arise for certain circuits, like Monaco, even though its organizers recently confirmed that it should remain on the calendar.
Asked about the subject, Lewis Hamilton believes that the public could be privileged over the historical aspect of certain tracks, which are less accessible for the fans. « I am a bit “old school.” So of course, I love history, especially on certain circuits, but the older I get, the more I realize that it concerns people. We could go to the middle of nowhere where there are very few people, where there aren’t many accommodations, not a very large community, and for us, as individuals, driving on a historic track is cool, but it’s a matter of community. »
And people really make all the difference. We went through a pandemic, nobody was [on the circuits] and there was simply no atmosphere. It felt like a testing day. It wasn’t enjoyable. And now, we see hundreds of thousands of people coming to the race, energized, excited, eager to learn more.
The seven-time world champion emphasizes the importance of the public at the circuits, and insists on the impact that drivers can have on them during Grand Prix weekends. « I believe that fans are at the heart of what this sport is, they create it. I think that being in cities where we can truly engage with the communities and also have a real impact is important. I love the Nurburgring, for example, but there is no diverse community there. We don’t really have an impact there. In Miami, we can do something. I met a group of children from diverse backgrounds who now want to pursue engineering and STEM, so it’s much cooler for me. »
