Formula 1 Is Returning To Africa In The Last Place You'd Expect
The series could be racing on nearly every continent on the planet
For years, people have talked about Formula 1 returning to Africa for the first time since 1993. South Africa seemed like the obvious choice, since the Kyalami circuit has hosted F1 races before. Instead, the sport has announced a 10-year agreement to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix in Rwanda.
The small, landlocked nation is home to just over 14 million people and doesn't currently have a racetrack capable of supporting the circus that is F1. Under a long-term agreement with the sport, it will build a new circuit in Bugesera, about 40 km south of the capital, Kigali, alongside Kigali International Airport.
With a race now locked in for Africa, the F1 season will include a race on every continent other than Antarctica. Former racer Alexander Wurz and expert track designer Carsten Tilke, who designed many racetracks on the current F1 calendar, will co-design the circuit. The circuit will sit near the water and deliver the highest elevation gain of any track currently used by F1. It has 17 corners, and Wurz said he had already driven the track extensively on the simulator, ensuring it's suited to the highest form of open-wheeled motorsport.
F1 says the African Grand Prix is scheduled for the early 2030s
However, don't expect to see F1 cars driving around an African circuit in the next couple of years. F1 has yet to put a firm date on when the African Grand Prix will be added to the calendar, simply stating it will be in the "early 2030s." The sport is likely doing this to hedge its bets. Vietnam was supposed to join the F1 season in 2020 and built a dedicated street circuit for the event, only for it to be omitted and dropped after one of the event's main stakeholders, Hanoi People's Committee Chairman Nguyễn Đức Chung, was arrested on corruption charges.
"Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1," F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said. "With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent, bringing the World Championship closer than ever to fans around the globe."
Seven-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton has been one of the most outspoken supporters of a race in Africa. Earlier this year, he said he'd been pushing for an African F1 race for "six years, maybe seven," and suggested he could even delay his retirement to race in Africa.