Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
Like many watching the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, and seeing the FIA-approved news that Spa would host the 2023 leg once more, had me deflated. What did this mean? Sadly, no deal has been signed to host an Formula One race at Kyalami.
The reckless way certain media went chasing clicks by announcing that the race would happen, off the back of some half-baked frozen nuggets of information, kick-started a hype train with immense energy. A positive spinoff is that we learnt that South Africans are hungry for it. But we will have to wait a bit longer.
More details will follow in due course but perhaps this was – allow me to play devil’s advocate here – a blessing in disguise. Why? For starters, given the sheer gravity of the logistics and planning behind hosting an event of this nature, anything short of a perfect job could see us off the list for good, and we certainly don’t want that. Think long game here.
The reason? Well, as I said, more details will follow, but what we do know is owing to a host of complexities behind the scenes to ensure Kyalami, Motorsport South Africa, F1 and the promoter all sing from the same hymn sheet, an agreement could not be reached. I mean, there is a lot of money behind this. It’s certainly not a trivial transaction like buying a loaf of bread from the convenience store.
One of the logistical issues is getting the track to the necessary grade. Funding and time are needed for track modifications such as the procurement of safety barriers and construction to increase the runoff room at several turns. Yes, how street circuits like Monaco and Baku get away with it is a contentious topic but let’s play by the rules and make the authorities happy.
Some good news is this certainly doesn’t mean the deal is off the table. It just means more time is needed to get all the ducks in a row. None of the heads of the powers that be will be rushed into a deal, so let’s all practise patience. Coming from a millennial, this took restraint, even to type. For now, let’s enjoy the sport and save a little for those tickets when the time does come, and when it does, that sweet moment will be the sweetest.