Official bid lodged for F1 return to Africa

The Republic of Rwanda has formally declared its official intention to bring F1 back to Africa.

 F1 last raced on the continent in 1993 at the famed Kyalami circuit north of Johannesburg in South Africa.

There have been numerous attempts to revive the race, all to no avail. Last year, it appeared a deal was on the cards to return to South Africa, only for it to fall through on political grounds.

This week, Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, has been hosting the FIA General Assembly, and on Friday night will stage the end-of-season prize-giving ceremony at which all the champions from the various categories will receive their trophies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the General Assembly, President Paul Kagame confirmed Rwanda is aiming to stage a grand prix in the future. Although it is known talks have been taking place, this is the first time its firm intentions have been declared.

“I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa by hosting a Formula 1 grand prix,” said Kagame.

“A big thank you to [F1 CEO] Stefano Domenicali and the entire team at Formula 1 for the good progress in our discussions so far.

“I assure you we are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment it deserves.

“Together we will build something we can all be proud of.”

The site of a circuit designed by former F1 driver Alex Wurz, who is also chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, is close to a new $2 billion airport under construction since 2017 and is not due to be operational until 2028, 40 kilometres south of Kigali

Rwanda is now in a race with South Africa to end the continent’s three-decade-long F1 drought as the latter is still hopeful of staging a race in 2027.