Formula 1 has officially confirmed a landmark 10-year agreement to bring the pinnacle of motorsport back to the African continent. However, the deafening roar of V6 hybrid engines will not be echoing through the rolling hills of Gauteng.
Instead, the Formula 1 African Grand Prix is heading to Rwanda in the early 2030s.
The announcement marks a historic breakthrough for the sport, ending a drought that has lasted since Alain Prost took victory at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit back in 1993. For years, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been the loudest voice campaigning behind the scenes for F1’s return to Africa and his efforts have finally materialised — just not where many South Africans had hoped.
For a long time, Kyalami seemed like the inevitable destination. A few years ago, negotiations were at an advanced stage, and the local motorsport fraternity was buzzing with the very real prospect of South Africa reclaiming its place on the global calendar. Unfortunately, a viable deal could never be successfully concluded. Financial guarantees and the sheer cost of upgrading Kyalami to FIA Grade 1 status ultimately stalled the dream.
While it stings that South Africa missed out on the commercial and cultural windfall of hosting a modern Grand Prix, this is undeniably a monumental step forward for African motorsport as a whole.
Rwanda has secured the deal with a state-of-the-art, purpose-built circuit planned for Bugesera, roughly 40 kilometres south of the capital, Kigali.