Verstappen hopes for African driver in F1: 'There is a lot of potential here'
F1 News
Formula 1 wants to host a Grand Prix in Africa soon. However, Max Verstappen is eager for Africa's involvement in F1 to be a lot deeper. The Red Bull Racing driver, who arrived in Rwanda this Friday to collect his fourth consecutive F1 world championship trophy, hopes that an African driver can make his way to F1 in the near future.
In Rwanda, Verstappen spoke to local youngsters who had the same dream he once had: to become a professional racing driver. As part of the Dutchman's FIA issued community service, Verstappen went to learn about the grassroots programme F1's governing body was implemmenting in the African country. In a buggy of sorts, the Rwandans will learn how to race, and who knows where that could eventually lead to.
Speaking at a press event, Verstappen said, "In the whole world, everything is getting more and more expensive, so the more you can build (motorsports) in your own country, the more you make it affordable for kids. I think it's great to have that possibility, and I hope it stimulates all these kids so that they want to be a racing driver, an engineer, in the future."
Verstappen hopes drivers from Africa make their way up the ladder
Currently and historically there have been European, Asian, Latin American and Australian drivers in F1, however, Verstappen looks to the future and hope that drivers who hail from Africa can also make their way to the racing series' grid. "It has massive potential and that is what I think everyone is working on... trying to make everyone very enthusiastic. It doesn't matter where in the world you come from, anything is possible. That's why I also think it's important that we're here. I'm very excited to see that hopefully in five to ten years, there are more people coming through (into motorsports)."
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!