Lewis Appiagyei – The Ghanaian Teenager Looking To Become Africa’s First Formula One Superstar

Since its inception in 1950 till date, Formula One has maintained the reputation as the highest stage of car racing in the world, pretty much every driver in motorsports aspires to get to the level of representing a Formula One team.

And a lot of them have, many different drivers have competed over the years for the different Formula One teams in different eras but very few of those drivers have been African or of African descent, while none of them have been a black African.

That is mostly because the sport is not really as popular in Africa as it is on other continents, a narrative that has started to change over the past few years. A good number of drivers with African names are now scattered across various levels of motorsport, but none have made it to Formula One yet.

One of those motorsport prodigies with an African name is Lewis Appiagyei, a 16-year-old who was born to a Ghanaian father and German mother in the United Kingdom and has his sights set on becoming a Formula One superstar in the near future.

Lewis Appiagyei is truly multinational, a trait that has given him a lot of much-needed exposure, he spent his early years in Hong Kong before returning to the U.K where he really started to take his Motorsport career seriously.

Throwing Out The Toy Cars

Lewis started to display his potential at a very young age when many boys his age group were playing with toy cars, he was already setting world records and looking to follow in the footsteps of his namesake, Lewis Hamilton.

At the age of 10, Lewis Appiagyei already had his first Guinness World Record, climbing to the top of virtual racing by driving the fastest lap ever on the Laguna Seca Circuit in virtual racing on PlayStation3, a record which still remains unbeaten 6 years later.

Taking It To The Track

Lewis Appiagyei has since stepped up from the virtual world to the real thing but the trend is still the same, winning his last junior karting trophy at the Buckmore Park Kart Circuit, the same world-famous circuit that produced F1 champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. 

The teen sensation is very intention and outspoken about his path to Formula One, and the desire to one day be like his namesake and inspiration Lewis Hamilton and become the F1 world champion.

Lewis Appiagyei is still only 16 years old, and he already looks the real deal, he has the charisma, the looks and most importantly the ability required to attain superstar level in motorsport. However, he of all people will know there’s still a long way to go before achieving his dream of making it to Formula One. 

There is no telling exactly what the future holds for this young talent who is proudly African. Still, he predicts that he will become a Formula One champion just like his namesake role model, stating in an interview “My aim is to become Africa’s first Formula One world champion, a prize which is still up for grabs to all African racing drivers wherever they may be.”