F1
DR Congo asks F1 not to organize race in Rwanda
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, alongside Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda © Frédéric Le Floc'h / DPPI
The Congolese armed forces are battling members of the March 23 Movement (M23). The latter are, according to the DR Congo and the UN, supported by Rwanda. Nearly a million people have been displaced and thousands killed in the clashes in recent months. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DR Congo, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, denounced in a letter sent to Stefano Domenicali, president of the Formula 1, Rwandan actions, requiring an examination of conscience on the part of F1 with regard to its choice for what would be the first race to take place on the African continent since 1993.
"While I applaud Formula 1's desire to host a Grand Prix in Africa, I doubt that Rwanda is the choice that best represents our continent and I urge you to end negotiations and exclude Rwanda as a potential host.", wrote the Minister. "Does Formula 1 really want its brand to be sullied by a bloody association with Rwanda? Is it really the best country to represent Africa in world motorsport?"
The Minister, who is committed to representing the African continent at the pinnacle of motorsport, supported in the same letter a candidacy from South Africa, which has been wanting to bring Formula 1 back to Kyalami for several years: “South African soldiers on peacekeeping missions in my country were killed by the very regime you are seeking to do business with. For the sake of those who gave their lives in the name of peace, do the right thing and at least give value to their sacrifice.”
Formula 1 responded through one of its spokespersons: “We have received inquiries from several venues around the world who are interested in hosting a future Formula 1 race. We are assessing each potential request in detail and any future decision will be based on full information and what is in the best interests of our sport and our values.”
Rwanda had officially applied to host a Grand Prix in the streets of its capital, Kigali. President Paul Kagame had expressed his country's desire on the sidelines of the FIA Awards, the traditional end-of-year evening of the International Automobile Federation, which was taking place in Kigali in 2024.
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Eugene
14/02/2025 at 06:05 a.m.
I would advise you to withdraw the Canal+ license throughout the DRC. You will see that Vincent Bolloré's interests will be directly affected and France will change its behavior. Temporarily abstain from the modest VAT that you collect on Canal+ bouquets and other French providers. We are a great people who use the French language. Suspending the Canal+ signal will impact the revenue on the broadcasting rights of sports channels.
vincent moyet
13/02/2025 at 06:14 a.m.
F1 values? They are variable geometry... We remove the Russian GP because it is fashionable, but for other destinations we accommodate dictatorships as long as it pays...
Ben
12/02/2025 at 09:30 a.m.
Lucas Paul, what is this 5-ball shortcut? Please, stick to motorsport because you are totally off the rails...
Nlandu
12/02/2025 at 06:31 a.m.
I totally agree Rwanda is not a model country to organize a Formula 1 Grand Prix thank you
Yves-Henri RANDIER
12/02/2025 at 05:34 a.m.
Beyond the end of the colonial epic of the Belgian Congo in 1960, the post-Second World War wars of independence have systematically given rise to atrocities (not to say worse...), regardless of the skin color of the different belligerents. And the current fighting between M23, militias, mercenaries and the regular Congolese army must give rise to some serious filth... alas
Yves-Henri RANDIER
12/02/2025 at 05:26 a.m.
However, Paul Kagame denies being behind this conflict that has been undermining Zaire/Congo for decades. That said, the Great Lakes having become a potential powder keg, we can hope that F1 and Liberty Media will not give in to the dollars offered by the autocratic regime in Kigali, which is also enriching itself by exporting, from Rwanda, minerals and raw materials absent from its subsoil ... but present in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lucas Paul
12/02/2025 at 05:14 a.m.
It is ridiculous to consider doing F1 races in such countries! If you do not understand why, search on Google the days of the independence of Congo, and the horrors that followed in 1960! I was there, because a soldier of the Belgian forces where we saved and extracted thousands of whites! Being in special transmissions, I saw everything, because I sent to the ministry of defense, all the reports, all the photos (by belino) all the films, all the horrors and all the testimonies of the people we saved! I understood what the blacks of Africa were! Sad to say but real, I was 19 years old and I still have not forgotten!