Historic grand prix host working on rapid return to F1 calendar

The government of South Africa, through its Sports, Arts and Culture department, has announced that it is bringing together a team of experts to examine a bid for a South African Grand Prix.

The African nation last hosted a race in 1993, however a return has been mooted for some time.

The government is giving applicants until mid-February to submit a bid. Once the choice is made and further requisites are completed, the request will be officially submitted to FOM and the FIA.

Minister Gayton McKenzie revealed during the official announcement of the process that the goal is to be on the F1 calendar in 2027, although he did not rule out the possibility of it being as early as 2026.

For now, it remains to be seen which city and circuit will come up with the strongest offer – but it seems only the Kyalami circuit has a real chance of a fast return to the F1 calendar. 

The circuit is the closest to a Grade 1 status from the FIA, which is required to welcome F1. 

Currently, they are said to be working to make changes necessary to obtain the status. 

However, after achieving the status, there is still the task of coming up with a suitable plan and sufficient budget to host F1.

Since the government’s move to have a group of experts look at a bid, it seems that the strongest project can count on government support.

Should that be the case, it becomes a lot more likely that South Africa will actually host another grand prix in the near future.