Rwanda circuit delivery begins as F1 sets African return

Formula One will race in Africa again for the first time since 1993, after the sport concluded a 10-year agreement with Rwanda for a grand prix on a purpose-built circuit. The first race is pencilled in only broadly for the early 2030s. The event, to be called the African Grand Prix, will run on a track in Bugesera, 40km south of the capital, Kigali.

The project now moves into its delivery phase, and the timetable reflects the work still ahead. No specific date has been set for the opening race. F1 has stated only the early 2030s, a window that allows the circuit to be built and then authorised to Grade 1 status by the FIA, the sport’s governing body. The design has been entrusted to WurzDesign, the firm run by the former driver Alexander Wurz, and a rendition of the layout indicates an intent for the track to flow across the natural contours of the landscape.

The deal closes out a long-held ambition within the sport to race again on the African continent, an aim championed by Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion has been outspoken about the need for a return, and said this year he had spent years working behind the scenes. “For the past six or seven years I’ve been fighting in the background to get a grand prix, sitting with stakeholders and asking the question: ‘Why are we not in Africa? There’s one on every other continent, why not Africa?’” he said.

On the ground, the race is backed by the government of Rwanda and the Rwanda Development Board, which intend to develop the venue as a destination not only for motorsport but for promoting economic growth, including hosting events, conferences and entertainment. The country has recently invested heavily in staging sporting events, among them cycling’s road world championships, cricket’s Women’s Challenge Trophy, the 2023 Fifa congress and the Basketball Africa League. In 2024 Rwanda hosted the FIA prize-giving gala, at which the country’s president, Paul Kagame, announced the intention to bid for a grand prix.

Kagame welcomed the agreement, framing the project in terms of its reach across the continent. “Rwanda is proud to host the Formula One African Grand Prix, and to share this moment with more than 100 million fans across Africa,” he said. “Many of them young people who deserve to see the sport at home and to see themselves in it: as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and, one day, drivers.”

The F1 chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, insisted the deal represented a broader long-term commitment between the sport and Rwanda. “Today is a landmark moment for Formula One,” he said. “With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent. This is about much more than hosting a grand prix. Together, we can create lasting economic and social benefits through tourism, investment, skills development and local business growth, ensuring the positive impact of this event is felt for generations.”

Rwanda was not the only bidder. South Africa, which hosted its race in East London, now known as KuGompo City, from 1962-66 before it moved to Kyalami in 1967, was also in the running amid a booming fanbase in the country. F1 went with the Rwandan proposal and its long-term commitment, but South Africa still harbours hope of bringing a grand prix back. Its sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, reacted to reports last week that Rwanda would get the nod by posting on X: “Remember though that one country, Italy, has had two F1s a year, and some react like a continent of 55 countries can only get one. SA will get F1, even before 2030.”

The announcement has also drawn scrutiny. Rwanda has attracted accusations of sportswashing, notably with Amnesty International forcefully criticising the Rwanda tourist board’s sponsorship of Aston Villa, saying: “The country is prolific in arbitrary detention, torture and the repression of free speech.”

F1 last raced in Africa at Kyalami in South Africa in 1993. Whether the Bugesera circuit delivers a race by the early 2030s will now depend on construction and FIA authorisation proceeding to plan.