Formula 1 returns to Africa with race in Rwanda
From the early 2030s, Rwanda is set to have a ten-year agreement for a Grand Prix at Bugesera.
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Formula 1 has announced that Rwanda will host a race once a new circuit near Bugesera is completed. The premier class will thereby return to Africa after more than thirty years.
The race is to take place on a new circuit in Bugesera, south-east of the capital Kigali. Formula 1 refers to a ten-year agreement. No precise date has yet been set for the first Grand Prix; the announcement mentions the early 2030s.
The circuit must be built specifically for Formula 1. The event is therefore dependent on the construction and approval of the track. The organisation has not yet published a complete calendar date, construction schedule or budget.
The last Formula 1 race on the African continent was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami circuit. Rwanda would therefore become the first new African country on the calendar since that race, if the project is carried out as planned.
The choice of Rwanda is part of Formula 1’s broader ambition to reach new audiences worldwide. In recent years, the country has increasingly used major international sporting events to strengthen tourism and its international profile.
President Paul Kagame described the agreement as a milestone for the continent, according to AP. Formula 1 chief Stefano Domenicali said that with Rwanda, the sport would be represented on all inhabited continents.
Driver Lewis Hamilton has also previously spoken out in favour of a Formula 1 race in Africa, according to AP. The seven-time world champion is the only black driver on the current Formula 1 grid, but it is not known whether he will still be racing when the event actually begins.
The announcement is therefore concrete about the agreement, location and intended period, but not yet about the final track, financing or its place on a Formula 1 calendar.
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The agreement and location were reported by AP and are consistent with earlier reporting by AFP. Unknown details about construction, financing and the calendar have been explicitly presented as uncertain or future plans.
- confirmed Rwanda is getting a ten-year agreement for a Formula 1 race. — AP reports a ten-year contract for a race in Rwanda. source
- confirmed The race is to be held at Bugesera, south-east of Kigali. — AP names Bugesera and its location in relation to Kigali. source
- confirmed The first race is expected from the early 2030s. — AP describes the period as the early 2030s. source
- confirmed The last Formula 1 race in Africa was the 1993 South African Grand Prix. — AP names the 1993 South African race as the last African Grand Prix. source
- confirmed The track must be built specifically for the event. — AP refers to a purpose-built track. source
Editor's note
The agreement, location and intended period were reported by AP. The first race, the circuit and the financial details remain future plans.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „formule 1”
- NU.nl — „formule 1”
- De Telegraaf — „formule 1”