Bad news for Formula 1 fans in South Africa

Formula One will reportedly return to Africa in 2030; however, it won’t take place in South Africa.

This is according to a new report by RacingNews365, which revealed that Rwanda has been given the green light to host the world’s most iconic racing series, marking F1’s return to the African continent after nearly 40 years.

The last F1 race was held at the Kyalami Circuit in Gauteng in March 1993. While there have been talks to bring the motorsport back to South Africa, other African nations like Rwanda and Morocco have expressed their own desires to host the event.

Now, Rwanda has seemingly beaten South Africa to the draw, as well-placed sources informed RacingNews365 that an agreement has been reached to allow the small central African nation to host a Formula One race in 2030.

This has yet to be confirmed, mind you; however, it is anticipated that an official announcement will be made in the coming weeks.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has made significant efforts to secure a bid to host an F1 event in the country’s capital city of Kigali.

Kagame hosted the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) General Assemblies and Prize Giving Ceremony in Kigali in 2024, where he announced that Rwanda would bid to host a race.

Since Rwanda did not have a dedicated track capable of hosting such an event at the time of the announcement, it was speculated that any potential race would be a street circuit around the capital.

However, RacingNews365 reported that the country is set to build a permanent racing circuit, located approximately 40km from the city.