Seven-time Formula One racing champion Lewis Hamilton has urged F1 chiefs to add an African race to its calendar for the first time since 1993.

With the current F1 calendar featuring more than 20 races per season, which means travelling to countries such as Australia, China, Russia, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, this season’s current leading driver has called for a return to the Kyalami circuit in Johannesburg, in South Africa – which has been the one continent that has been missing from the F1 calendar for the past 27 years. The circuit there would reportedly need some upgrades while there have also been recent talks about a race in another African circuit in Marrakech, in Morocco.

In Q&A video from Petronas, Mercedes driver, Hamilton, said: "I would love for a Grand Prix to be in South Africa. They are great sporting fans and are just petrol-heads who love cars.

"I would love to go there, it would be absolutely insane. There is a huge following there and it is one of the most important Grand Prix we need to get on the calendar."

He went on to say: "It's such an important place to go back to. At the moment, Formula One goes to countries and doesn't really leave much behind if anything.

"Formula One has to shift into being a sport that does go to places and leaves behind something that can really help the communities. Bringing the attention back to Africa and really highlighting the beautiful place that it is.

"I think that's the most important place that we have to go to. It needs to be held where it's not all about money, it's about the people.

"In business, that's not always the case so that's something I'm really pushing for."

F1 global director of race promotion Chloe Targett-Adams, who deals with event organisers, says the continent is key to the sport’s development.

The South African GP featured 23 times on the F1 calendar following its debut in 1962 but was last staged in 1993. There have been a number of plans to return Formula One to the country but there are currently no race circuits in South Africa which would be approved by the FIA to host an F1 event.

"It's such an important place to go back. At the moment, Formula One goes to countries and doesn't really leave much behind if anything. Formula One has to shift into being a sport that does go to places and leaves behind something that can really help the communities.

"Bringing the attention back to Africa and really highlighting the beautiful place that it is. I think that's the most important place that we have to go to. It needs to be held where it's not all about money, it's about the people. In business, that's not always the case so that's something I'm really pushing for."

Australia, Singapore and Japan were among the countries said to not be rescheduled for the 2020 campaign for a much smaller season with an eight race in European, which also includes back-to-back races at Silverstone at the start of August.

The 2020 Formula One season finally gets underway next week when the drivers descend on Austria for the first of two races to be held in the European country.