Lewis Hamilton has called for a movement to “take Africa back”, claiming the continent is being “controlled” by European powers. On the eve of the new Formula One season in Melbourne, the seven-time champion outlined his ambition to compete in a grand prix on African soil.

But the 41-year-old, F1’s first black race driver, did not stop there. He suggested former colonial rulers still exerted undue power in the region and called for action to reverse that influence. “I’ve got roots from a few different places there, like Togo and Benin,” he said. “I’m really proud of that part of the world.

“It is the most beautiful part of the world and I don’t like that the rest of the world owns so much of it and takes so much from it and no one speaks about it. I’m really hopingthe people running those different countries all unite and come together and take Africa back.

“That’s what I want to see. Take it back from the French, take it back from the Spanish, take it back from the Portuguese and the British. It’s so important for the future of that continent. They have all the resources to be the greatest and most powerful place in the world and that’s probably why they are being controlled the way they are.”

On the specific matter of an African grand prix, he reiterated his longstanding support for the idea. “For the past six years, maybe seven, I’ve been fighting in the background to get a grand prix … sitting with stakeholders and asking the question: ‘Why are we not in Africa?’,” he said.

“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without getting to race there, so I’m chasing them. They’re setting certain dates, I’m like: ‘Damn, I could be running out of time’, so I’m going to be here for a while until that happens. That would be amazing, given that I’m half African. There’s one on every other continent, why not Africa? I know they’re really trying.”

Having travelled extensively on the continent, Hamilton put forward his own ideas for potential hosts,. “I think they’ve been to quite a few different countries. I loved Kenya – I don’t think we’re going to have a grand prix in Kenya – but Rwanda particularly was spectacular. South Africa is stunning. Those are the ones I think would be good places for us to potentially go to.”