Malik Pushing For Return To Africa.

Arrows owner Prince Malik Ado Ibrahim wants Formula One to return to the African continent as the initial step in his search for the sport's first black driver.


The prince who, with the Morgan Grenfell bank, bought a 70 per cent stake in the struggling Arrows team over the winter, is keen to attract non-whites to a sport he believes is dominated by Europeans. Although he denies that there is an overt racist policy in motorsport, Malik is concerned that there are little ethnic involvement in what is now a global activity.


"There is not a racist element in the sport," he said, "but it is a fact that, because it is European-based and European-developed, it does not have that aspect of colour in it."


Malik has already said that there was 'no reason why the next Michael Schumacher can't be black', and hopes to persuade F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to return to the African continent in his search for talent. Although his suggestion of a Grand Prix of the Nile is likely to be supplanted by a return to Kyalami in South Africa, the prince believes that this will introduce the sport to a whole new audience.


"Africa has had a world champion, at least a South African - and a white South African at that," he pointed out, "But in those days, blacks could not even go to the stadium to watch the race. We've missed out on that part of history that we should have embraced. I think we will push hard to get a race on the continent again.


"A lot of people have ignored it [Africa] and looked away thinking 'the dark continent'," he continued, before pointing to a pre-season Kyalami test as an indication of national interest, "It was quite incredible, because they had 30,000 people watching three cars each day - and the majority of them were black. It's almost like uniting everyone - the market and the hype will bring people of all creeds and colours from other parts of Africa."