Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.
The possibility of F1 returning to Kyalami is the hot topic that’s on everyone’s lips.
The event was held regularly until 1985, when apartheid boycott set in. And returned briefly, in 1992 and 1993, after Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Despite the tweets and fanfare on social media, chief decision-makers are yet to give F1 the green light.
This is what we know so far. Apparently, a five-year deal has been made with DHL on the logistics.
The F1 circus has a lot of gear to move about, so it makes perfect sense that the logistics will be put into place well before the event.
The other big thing is we know that the head honcho of F1, Stefano Domenicali, visited Kyalami last month. Perhaps to do some urban safari in the area? I think not.
And Motorsport South Africa boss Anton Roux was spotted having lunch with Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile president Mohammed Bin Sulayem over the weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Perhaps talking about their shared interest in stamp collecting? I think not.
The crumbs that have littered the internet didn’t stop there. Earlier on, the hype train ran a provisional release of the 2023 calendar.
“If it’s on the internet, it must be true.” I think not. The key word here is “provisional”.
Stefano DomenicaliHere’s the scoop, though, F1 does include contingencies because a lot can change in a short amount of time — you know, minor inconveniences such as a pandemic or when one country decides to invade a neighbouring country.
My advice is not to read too much into the internet hype.
The big boss of the South African Grand Prix, the company that’s hoping to bring the race to the country, Warren Scheckter, is on my WhatsApp DM and but he has been tight-lipped.
On my many prods to catch him on the back foot, his resolve has been quite impressive.
“Hey Brent, Working hard. Long way to go. No breaking at this point,” says Scheckter.
Even after my suggestion to assist in speeding up the process by promoting my skills of stapling bundles of paper together really neatly and writing convincing copy, he still did not budge or bat an eyelid. Not at the slightest. Scheckter would make a great spy if war ever had to break out and he was thinking of a career change.
Despite just about every keyboard warrior jumping on the hype train, what we’ve learnt about everything so far is that people can keep secrets, and all the big bosses are talking to each other, which is an even better thing.
They are keeping a straight face with the occasional smile, so if that announcement doesn’t come in the next two weeks, I’ll be rather surprised.
As for ticket prices, we only need to look at the prices at this year’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The most affordable tickets came in at $199, which at our current exchange rate is R3 383.
This may change, of course, if another global event tanks the rand even further.
But the mere fact that we’re seeing this level of hype around an event is the type of green shoot our country needs. Where there’s tyre smoke, there’s fire? The announcement remains imminent and we wait with bated breath.
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