It’s been over 30 years since Formula 1 last raced on the African continent. The 1993 South African Grand Prix took place at the Kyalami Circuit, and it was won by Alain Prost, who managed to hold off a charging Michael Schumacher. Should representatives of Rwanda, the FIA, and Liberty Media come to terms, however, F1 could make its debut in the tiny, landlocked country as early as 2026.
“I don’t see big changes coming in the short term, but in the next couple of months we need to discuss what will be ’26, ’27 and ’28. We have different options but we are in a good place,” Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told Autosport. “They [Rwanda] are serious. They have presented a good plan and actually we have a meeting with them at the end of September. It will be on a permanent track.”
It’s not the first time a return to the continent has been discussed. In fact, during an interview last year, world champ Max Verstappen told The Drive that F1 “needs” a race in Africa. “I think we still need a race in Africa. We are basically on every other continent, so I do think that that’s the next step for Formula 1.”
According to Autosport, a delegation from Rwanda visited the Monaco Grand Prix this year to meet with the FIA. That’s usually one of the first steps in the process, as the prospective host must discuss the creation of a new racetrack, whether it be temporary or permanent. Simultaneous talks must be held with the FIA for track and safety purposes, as well as the commercial side of F1 (Liberty Media) for hosting fee negotiation, promoter contracts, TV rights, etc.
It’s unclear where the meeting between Domenicali and Rwandan representatives will take place, but it’ll likely be at Azerbaijan or Singapore GPs. This, of course, raises the issue of logistics and length once more, with the current F1 season already featuring 24 races from February through December. Should Rwanda join the calendar without another race being dropped, that’d push it to 25 and likely add at least one more week to the calendar—if not two. And apparently, F1 also has its sights set on Thailand, which could take the total GP count even higher.
“We have so many places around the world that want to host F1 that it allows us to make sure that we are working together with all of them to grow the experience. With 24 races, I see that there’s a number that will be stable, and we can really turn to the ones that we are discussing to see what will be the future,” added Domenicali.
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