Sir Lewis Hamilton was enriched by his trip through Africa as he spent his summer break tapping into the culture of Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The seven-time champion had been on fine form heading into the well-earned August holiday, scoring five consecutive podiums as he took his tally up to six for the season.
The last of them came in Hungary before the teams and drivers broke off for their shutdowns, and Hamilton led George Russell over the line as the Silver Arrows scored two consecutive double podium finishes.
The plan for the 37-year-old, in his own words, is to wreak “havoc” on Ferrari and Red Bull in the second half of the season, with the W13 car looking more adept to winning races than it did at the start of the season.
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His goal for August however, was a lot different, and it was aimed at a higher cause than winning races.
Hamilton spent his time raising money for Ukraine, as well as setting up a fundraiser for underprivileged children in schools in the United Kingdom.
He also headed to Africa, where he spent time observing spectacular wildlife, trying out different cuisines, hiking, taking in the fabulous views the continent has to offer, and integrating with the citizens of Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
One of the Briton’s new year’s resolutions for 2022 was to plan ahead more, and he decided in February that he was going to head to Africa for the summer.
His adventure across the four countries certainly did not disappoint.
“I have been to Africa before but it was still the place I wanted to go more than anywhere,” said Hamilton in the press conference ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix
“It was a very grounding experience to see the incredible landscapes of the different countries we went to and humbling to see people live with nothing in a house made of literally twigs.
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“No shoes, no socks, and going about their daily lives without social media and other stuff we have, they didn’t take anything for granted, which was quite beautiful to see.”
Africa may well again be represented on the Formula 1 calendar in the not too distant future, with the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa being tipped for a return.