Phoenix 24
A new circuit could end a 37-year continental absence.
Kigali, Rwanda
Formula 1 is moving closer to a long-awaited return to Africa, with Rwanda emerging as the leading candidate to host a Grand Prix from 2030. Reports indicate that an agreement has been reached in principle, although Formula 1 has not yet issued a formal announcement. If confirmed, the race would mark the championship’s first appearance on the continent since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. The project would therefore carry both sporting and symbolic significance for a series that currently races on every inhabited continent except Africa.
Rwanda’s proposal centers on the construction of a new permanent circuit approximately 40 kilometers from Kigali, close to Bugesera International Airport. The project is expected to involve international circuit-design expertise and would require substantial investment in infrastructure, transport and event operations. President Paul Kagame publicly announced Rwanda’s Formula 1 ambitions in 2024, and the country has since strengthened its relationship with both the FIA and Formula 1 leadership. That sustained political commitment appears to have given Kigali an advantage over competing African bids.
South Africa had long been considered the natural favorite for Formula 1’s return to the continent. Kyalami remains one of Africa’s most recognizable racing venues, while Cape Town and other South African projects have also explored potential bids. Morocco and Nigeria have expressed interest as well. Rwanda’s apparent progress demonstrates that historical motorsport tradition alone does not guarantee a place on the modern Formula 1 calendar.
The competition reflects the changing economics of the championship. Hosting a Grand Prix is now about far more than building a racetrack. Governments increasingly view Formula 1 as a platform for tourism, infrastructure investment, international visibility and national branding. Rwanda has spent years expanding its profile through major sporting events, conferences and international partnerships, making Formula 1 another potential element of that strategy.
Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly advocated for an African Grand Prix, arguing that the continent’s absence from the calendar represents a major gap in Formula 1’s global expansion. A race in Rwanda would answer that demand, but it would also create new questions about cost, sustainability, political image and whether one African event can adequately represent a continent of more than 50 countries.
If the project reaches the calendar in 2030, Formula 1’s return will be about more than restoring a missing race. It will show how global sport increasingly follows investment, infrastructure and geopolitical ambition as closely as sporting tradition.
The next Formula 1 frontier may be built where few expected it.