F1 to return to Africa: 10-year Rwanda deal for Bugesera circuit
Photo: fia.com
The FIA, Formula 1 and the government of Rwanda announced a 10-year agreement on Tuesday in Kigali to stage an African Grand Prix. The race will be held on a circuit that does not exist yet. It is due to be built in Bugesera, and the timing of the debut depends on when construction is finished.
No date yet for the first race
No date has been given for the first race. The FIA and Formula 1 say the debut is planned for early next decade, once the new circuit is complete. According to Autosport, the first edition could take place in 2030 at the earliest. The organizers are expected to announce details of the inaugural date, the construction phases and the race weekend plan later.
The event's official name is the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda. The agreement was presented at a press conference in Kigali attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Bugesera circuit: 17 corners and big elevation changes
The venue will be built about 40 km south of Kigali, next to a new international airport that is under construction. According to Autosport, the track will be about 6 km long with 17 corners. Cars will run counterclockwise, and the elevation change over a single lap is expected to be at least 197 m.
The layout is being designed by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz and his design firm. The circuit is intended to meet FIA Grade 1 standards and to use the natural terrain, partly to give spectators good sightlines.
The circuit is part of a wider sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial project led by the Rwanda Development Board. Outside Grand Prix weekends, the venue is meant to operate year-round, hosting international motorsport competitions, major events, conferences and entertainment.
F1's first race in Africa since 1993
Formula 1 last raced in Africa at the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
"Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1. With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent," Domenicali said.
"Today belongs to Africa. For more than three decades, the world's premier motorsport championship has raced without this continent, and that changes with this agreement," Kagame said. Ben Sulayem called F1's return to Africa "a historic moment for our sport."
According to F1, Africa has more than 100 million Formula 1 fans. In key markets in sub-Saharan Africa, almost 60% of them are under 35.
Lewis Hamilton's long push for an African round
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has long argued for F1 to return to the continent. "For the past six years I've been fighting in the background to get a grand prix," he said earlier this year.
Hamilton said he had sat down with stakeholders and kept asking them the same question: "why are we not in Africa? We're on every other continent, why not Africa?" Of the places he had visited, he enjoyed Kenya and Rwanda the most, describing Rwanda as "particularly spectacular." He named those two countries and South Africa as good places for F1 to go.
Rwanda and major sporting events
According to Autosport, talks between F1 and Rwanda gathered pace in 2024. The country had previously hosted the UCI Road World Championships, the 2023 FIFA Congress and Basketball Africa League games. In 2024, Rwanda also hosted the FIA General Assemblies and the FIA gala, where Max Verstappen collected the trophy for his fourth F1 world title in Kigali.
"This 10-year partnership is also an investment in Rwanda's future," Kagame said. He added that the Bugesera circuit and the new airport are expected to bring the country jobs, tourism and new business for decades.