Hamilton visits Gaza border crossing in Egypt days after 400th F1 start

According to a statement from the North Sinai Governorate, North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer met the Ferrari driver when he landed at Al-Arish International Airport. Megawer told the Associated Press that the purpose of the trip was for Hamilton to learn about Egypt's efforts to get aid into Gaza. Hamilton stayed on the Egyptian side of the border throughout the visit.

At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers in Arabic and shook hands with staff and officials. Al Jazeera reported that he asked them how often they are able to enter Gaza through Rafah. Officials showed him aid parcels stacked on lorries waiting at the border, The National reported.

In Al-Arish, Red Crescent staff walked him through the whole process: how aid is received, sorted, packed and stored before trucks carry it to the crossing. The Egyptian government confirmed the visit in a statement:

Haaretz noted that Hamilton visited while aid deliveries into Gaza remain far below the 600 trucks a day agreed under a ceasefire deal reached last year.

Hamilton made a similar trip in December 2025, when he went to Jordan with the British Red Cross. He met Red Crescent teams preparing supplies for Gaza and visited a hospital treating children evacuated from the strip. He also donated to the charity's Gaza appeal. Writing on social media afterwards, he said that "the trickle of aid currently reaching Gaza is nowhere near enough."

The 41-year-old has spoken about the region many times before. He has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and often posted on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes. In October, he called for a "free Palestine" when asked about Formula 1's planned African Grand Prix in Rwanda.

Hamilton flew to Egypt straight after a difficult weekend in Brazil. Power unit problems in final practice sent him to the back of the grid, and he started his landmark race from 20th, as GPblog reported in Hamilton reveals Sao Paulo GP target as he starts 400th GP from 20th. He recovered to finish ninth, one lap down.

Fernando Alonso is the only other driver to have started 400 Grands Prix. "It's kind of crazy. I never ever thought that I would be reaching numbers like that," Hamilton said of the milestone. When he made his debut, the record for most starts belonged to Riccardo Patrese, with 256.