Domenicali calms things down around the return of F1 to Africa: "We need guarantees"

La Formula 1 Will it be back on all six continents before the end of the decade? The project, which has been discussed in the paddock for several months, is progressing. At the end of March, South Africa stood out in particular by seeing two potential sites apply to host its event for the first time since 1993 and the Kyalami GP won by Alain Prost.

For their part, the pilots interviewed said they were in favor of this change in the calendar. Lewis Hamilton even pleaded in August 2024 in favor of a rapid return of the continent to the program, raising a real need. "We cannot add races in other places and continue to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world is only taking. No one is giving anything to Africa."

Anticipating criticism, the seven-time world champion had notably raised the issue of infrastructure, often positioned as a short-term obstacle. "The current excuse It's that there may not be a ready track, but there is at least one track that is ready there. And in the short term, we should just go on that track and get that part of the schedule, and then work on building something moving forward, proposed the Briton. This will be a conversation I will have with Stefano, who I know also wants to make sure of this."

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Domenicali reports limited progress

Interviewed by Autosport, the Formula One Group CEO, recently reappointed until 2029, elaborated on the project's progress. While there is no shortage of candidates, such as Rwanda, which has entered the fray, and a track is indeed available to host Formula 1 in South Africa, the issues are more global.

"Before taking this step, we need guarantees on three fronts: investments that benefit the community beyond the presence of F1, infrastructure and an economic base capable of supporting the event in the long term, explained the Italian. We're not waiting, we're working to assess what's still missing before we can say, 'OK, here we go.' But we're not there yet."

Beyond the infrastructure linked to the race itself, the question of housing and transport seems to come into play, and remain among the persistent problems preventing Africa from reaching the long-awaited milestone.

Taking the introduction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix as an example of success in all areas, the F1 boss explained the organization's expectations. "Looking at the event itself, Las Vegas was clearly a win for F1. Beyond the media coverage, it allowed us to secure commercial deals that would have been difficult to secure otherwise."

Among Stefano Domenicali's stated intentions, another important factor must be taken into account. Since the calendar currently consists of 24 events, no new races will be introduced without replacing a circuit already on the schedule. In other words, Formula 1 is out of the question to endorse a schedule of 25 or more races during an already very busy year.

Among the sacrificed races, some European stages could suffer from these future reorganizations. Already, Spa-Francorchamps will be on the program on an alternating basis from 2028. In the future, the Imola circuit could also be doomed to disappear, according to the most recent comments from the Formula 1 boss, himself from Emilia-Romagna.

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