Hamilton believes city races can have a social impact

The Formula 1 calendar has changed a lot in recent years. Some classic races are in the pipeline as US popularity grows. Next season, there are three US races on the program, two of them (Miami and Las Vegas) on street circuits.

Changes to the calendar cause a lot of discussion. The races are on account of some of the classic tracks on the calendar. The German Grand Prix disappeared some time ago and people now fear for the future of Spa and Monaco, among others. These two circuits are part of the sport’s history and not everyone was happy with these rumours.

People

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also finds it difficult. The British Mercedes driver is having a hard time with him and shares his doubts with Motorsport.com: “I’m very old school. Of course I love history, especially the history of some racetracks. But as I get older I realize it’s about people. We can go into the middle of nowhere with a number of Few people, mediocre accommodations, a mid-level community but a historical path. But it’s all about the people.”

Effect

So Hamilton thinks it’s important to move to the cities. The British Mercedes driver sees an important role for sport on a social level: “I think the fans are at the heart of the sport, they really make this. I think in cities we can really interact with communities and we can create impact. I like the Nurburgring, but there’s not a diverse community there. We don’t have Effect there. In Miami, we can do something. I met a few kids from different backgrounds there, and they now want to get into engineering. I think that’s a lot better.”