Formula 1 Returns to Africa with Historic 10-Year Rwanda Deal
The sport ends a 33-year absence from the continent, confirming a new circuit near Kigali as part of a landmark agreement.
Photo: Veni Markovski / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Photo: Veni Markovski / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Thirty-three years is a long time to stay away. Formula 1 last raced on African soil in 1993, at Kyalami in South Africa — and on Tuesday, the sport confirmed it is finally coming back. A 10-year agreement with Rwanda will bring a new African Grand Prix to the calendar in the early 2030s, closing the only gap left on F1’s map of inhabited continents.
A circuit built next to the airport
The race will be held at a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, roughly 40km south of Kigali, next to the capital’s new international airport. It is being constructed to FIA Grade 1 standard — the top certification required to host a round of the world championship — as part of a wider push by the Rwanda Development Board into sports, tourism and infrastructure. Organisers say the layout will make use of the area’s elevation changes to produce a demanding track with strong viewing opportunities, and that the venue is intended to host motorsport, conferences and entertainment year-round, not just one race week a year.
A date for the inaugural event, along with construction milestones and race weekend details, will follow in future announcements.
“An investment in Rwanda’s future”
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.
Stefano Domenicali, F1 President and CEO
Domenicali said Africa “has always been part of Formula 1’s future.”
Today belongs to Africa. For more than three decades, the world’s premier motorsport championship has raced without this continent.
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
Kagame, who has personally driven the bid for several years, called the decade-long partnership “an investment in Rwanda’s future.”
The return of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship to Africa is a historic moment for our sport.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President
Ben Sulayem added that “increasing accessibility is at the heart of the FIA’s mission,” and that the federation “will work closely with FOM and our partners” on developing the circuit.
The gap since Kyalami
No inhabited continent has gone as long without a round of the championship as Africa has since 1993. F1 says it has more than 100 million fans across the continent, with almost 60% of followers in key Sub-Saharan markets under the age of 35 — numbers that have made the absence increasingly hard to justify.
Kigali has hosted major international gatherings before, including the FIA’s 2024 General Assembly and Prize Giving ceremony, the Basketball Africa League and the 2023 FIFA Congress, and Kagame has kept the conversation with Ben Sulayem and Domenicali running for years, including face time at last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The ink is barely dry on Rwanda’s deal, and already the paddock is asking who’s next — South Africa and Morocco have both circled this moment for years, hoping Kigali’s breakthrough is the one that finally reopens the door.
