Formula 1: Africa steps on the gas to land a Grand Prix

Long off Formula 1's radar, Africa wants its voice heard on the global circuit. With the continent the only one missing from the championship calendar, several countries, led by South Africa, Rwanda and Morocco, are rallying to land a round of the prestigious motor racing series.

The stakes are as symbolic as they are strategic: giving F1 a genuine African foothold and underlining the sporting and economic ambition of a continent undergoing rapid change. In this push to be heard, the continent has a heavyweight ally in Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion. "You can't keep adding races everywhere and carry on ignoring Africa ", he said in August 2024.

South Africa puts Kyalami back on the map

First on the starting grid in this diplomatic and technical race: South Africa. The country, which has already hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix, in 1993 at the legendary Kyalami circuit, wants to reclaim its place among the elite of motorsport. Backed by sports minister Gayton McKenzie and an active organising committee, the South African bid rests on two options: renovating the historic Kyalami circuit, which is Grade 2 certified, or staging the race on a spectacular street circuit in Cape Town. A verdict is expected in the third quarter of 2025. At a time when F1 is looking to widen its global footprint, South Africa is banking on its history, local passion and the aura of Jody Scheckter, Africa's only world champion (1979), to convince.

Read also: Formula 1: South Africa sets itself on pole position

Rwanda banks on modernity and stability

But the Rainbow Nation is no longer going it alone. Rwanda, a newcomer to the world of major events, is moving at speed on the back of its open-door policy and its image of stability. Kigali, backed by partnerships with sporting giants such as the NBA, Arsenal and PSG, has entered talks with F1 management. President Paul Kagame, who attended the Singapore GP in 2023, sees the event as a chance to raise his country's profile. With a brand-new international airport, a secure environment and robust economic growth, Rwanda wants to show it can host Formula 1 to world-class standards. The country could be the choice for the future, even if, in the short term, the lack of a homologated circuit remains a stumbling block.

Morocco looks to play its hand with Tangier

Lying in wait, Morocco has no intention of being left out of this continental momentum. The kingdom, with its Formula E experience in Marrakech behind it, is working on an ambitious project for a permanent circuit to F1 standards in Tangier, a strategic city in the north of the country. Morocco hosted a single Grand Prix, in 1958 at the Ain Diab circuit in Casablanca, but the technical and logistical conditions were not in place to secure a lasting spot on the calendar. Today, the picture is changing. The Moulay El Hassan circuit in Marrakech, used for Formula E, remains too short (2.8 km), but the authorities appear ready to invest in major infrastructure. With the 2030 football World Cup on the horizon and an attractive geographical position, Morocco has strong arguments to win over Liberty Media, owner of F1's commercial rights.

Challenges, but a genuine African appetite

For Formula 1, absent from Africa since 1993, the stakes go beyond simply staging a race. It is a question of legitimacy for a sport that presents itself as global but has never yet put down lasting roots on a continent in the midst of transformation. Still, hosting an F1 Grand Prix is no small undertaking: the cost of commercial rights, FIA standards, world-class infrastructure, complex logistics. Add to that a range of other factors: geopolitics, logistics, economics, sporting diplomacy. Nothing too complicated for the African contenders, at first glance.