Lewis Hamilton has come under fire after his comments on ‘taking Africa back’

Elon Musk has offered a characteristically enigmatic response to Lewis Hamilton’s impassioned plea for African nations to wrest control of their continent from former colonial powers.

The South African-born billionaire, who owns the social media platform X, replied with a single word: “Hmm.”

His terse reaction came after the seven-time Formula One world champion delivered a striking address ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari in his twentieth consecutive season, urged African countries to unite against what he described as ongoing European influence, specifically naming Britain, France, Spain and Portugal.

Lewis Hamilton caused controversy when he insisted Africa was being controlled

 | REUTERS

The 41-year-old Briton did not mince his words when addressing reporters in Melbourne.

“I think 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,” Hamilton declared.

He went further, calling for continental solidarity: “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.”

The Ferrari driver suggested Africa possessed sufficient resources to become “the greatest and most powerful place in the world,” adding that this was “probably why they are being controlled the way they are.”

Hamilton’s connection to Africa runs deep, with ancestral roots tracing back to Togo and Benin.

“I’ve got roots from a few different places there, like Togo and Benin. I’m really proud of that part of the world,” he explained.

The motorsport icon has spent recent summer breaks exploring the continent, visiting Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and Nigeria among his travels to ten African nations.

For six or seven years, he has been lobbying Formula One stakeholders to bring a grand prix to Africa, the sole inhabited continent without a race on the calendar.

“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there,” Hamilton stated, expressing concern that time may be running short.

Musk’s cryptic response carries particular weight given his own African origins.

Elon Musk, who has African heritage, responded to Lewis Hamilton on X

 | PA

The technology magnate was born into a wealthy family in Pretoria, South Africa, before emigrating to Canada in 1989.

He subsequently obtained Canadian citizenship through his mother and later became an American citizen in 2002.

Now recognised as the world’s wealthiest individual since 2025, with Forbes estimating his fortune at approximately $852 billion as of February 2026, Musk leads Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform where he posted his laconic reply.

His South African background lends an intriguing dimension to his measured reaction to Hamilton’s sweeping remarks about European influence on the continent.