F1
Hamilton gets involved in bringing F1 to Rwanda or South Africa
© Eric Alonso / DPPI
When will the return of Formula 1 in Africa? He has been one of the sea serpents of the discipline for several years, if not decades. We have to go back to 1993 to find traces of the last Grand Prix contested on the African continent, with the victory ofAlain Prost at Kyalami during the South African Grand Prix. Since then, nothing. All plans for a possible return of Formula 1 to Africa fell through, notably with the abortive return of Kyalami to the calendar, in 2023.
However, things could soon change: a new project has emerged in recent weeks: Rwanda has reportedly applied to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, information confirmed by Stefano Domenicali himself. “They are serious. They presented a good plan and we have a meeting with them at the end of September. This will be an ongoing project,” declared the president of Formula 1 in August from Motorsport.com.
Hamilton pushes for Grand Prix in Rwanda
The country of 14 million inhabitants is experiencing economic growth and is increasingly relying on its soft power in the sporting world in order to improve its image, thirty years after the terrible genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda. This candidacy could also be carried by one of the best ambassadors of Formula 1 there is: Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion confirmed last Thursday, on the sidelines of the Dutch Grand Prix, that he was actively working behind the scenes to ensure that a return of Formula 1 to Africa happens in the near future, whether in Rwanda or in South Africa.
“The time is 100% right. We can't add races in other places and continue to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world is just taking over. Nobody gives anything to Africa. (…) I think that organizing a Grand Prix in this region will highlight the quality of the place and attract tourism, believes Lewis Hamilton. Why are we not on this continent? There is at least one circuit that is ready. In the short term, we should just jump on this track and put it on the calendar, then work on building something really cool. »
“Rwanda is one of my favorite places. I worked a lot [on the Rwanda project] behind the scenes, he confirms. I spoke to people in Rwanda and South Africa. Rwanda would be a longer term project but it's amazing that they are so enthusiastic about being part of [the arrival of Formula 1]. » If Rwanda manages to convince Formula 1 to organize a Grand Prix there, the decision could then be made official before the end of 2024. Let's also not forget that the country's capital, Kigali, will host the award ceremony FIA prizes next December…
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Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
27/08/2024 at 07:15 a.m.
Bravo for this involvement from Sir LEWIS! Let's hope that Kyalami will win in yet another Tilkesque race in the streets of Kigali in Rwanda, especially since southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Angola) has a real culture of motor sports. Let's hope that the new South African Government of National Unity can speed up the process because its sports minister Gayton McKENZIE is very supportive of Kyalami's return to the F1 calendar!