Formula 1 to return to Africa with Rwanda deal
Formula 1 has signed a 10-year agreement with Rwanda. A new circuit to be built near the capital, Kigali, will host an African Grand Prix in the early 2030s.
Talk of Formula 1 returning to Africa for the first time since 1993 has circulated for years. South Africa, which previously hosted races at the Kyalami circuit, was seen as a strong contender. But the decision came as a surprise: Formula 1 has signed a 10-year deal with Rwanda for an African Grand Prix.
A new circuit from scratch
Rwanda, with a population of just over 14 million, currently has no circuit capable of hosting F1. Under the agreement, a new track will be built in Bugesera, about 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Kigali, next to Kigali International Airport.
The circuit is being designed jointly by former racing driver Alexander Wurz and Carsten Tilke, the designer of many tracks on the current F1 calendar. Set beside the water, the track will feature 17 corners and have the greatest elevation change of any circuit on the calendar. Wurz says he has driven the track extensively in a simulator.
No date yet
F1 has not given a firm date for when the race will join the calendar, saying only "the early 2030s." F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali called it a "milestone," noting that with Rwanda's addition the sport will race on every inhabited continent.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has long been among the most prominent advocates for holding an F1 race in Africa.
This article was compiled with the help of AI from information published by Carscoops.
