Formula 1 is definitely coming to South Africa

Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has stated that Formula 1 (F1) is “definitely coming to South Africa.”

On the sidelines of the annual Red Bull Showrun in Sandton, Gauteng, this past weekend, McKenzie told motorsport-focused social media personality LalliesF1 that the leaders at the helm of F1 have said that they are very keen to bring the sport back to the country and they have given him a list of demands that must be satisfied before this could happen.

“I can tell you this, F1 is definitely coming [to South Africa],” said McKenzie.

“F1 told us they’re keen to come, they told us what they’ll need to come, and we are going to give them what they need to come.”

The pinnacle of motorsport was on the verge of making a return to South Africa twice before following its official exit in 1993, however, each time the negotiations fell through behind closed doors for reasons unbeknownst to the general public, as is usually the case in this secretive industry.

Previous rumours suggested that the country had no racetracks that conformed to the stringent rules and regulations of F1 with upgrades to the Kyalami circuit deemed too expensive, and government being unwilling to provide financial assistance in this regard.

South Africa’s close ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine allegedly threw another spanner in the works.

However, McKenzie said he has now taken matters into his own hands and guarantees that F1 will unquestionably come to South Africa once again. 

He previously stated that his term as minister will be a “failure” if he can’t pull it off.

Bad news for Kyalami

One question that hasn’t been answered yet is whether F1’s triumphant comeback will be staged in Cape Town or Johannesburg, said McKenzie.

“There’s still a big fight at the moment, is it Cape Town, or is it Joburg? That decision has not been taken,” he said.

The last time an F1 race took place on local soil it was at the Kyalami racetrack in Johannesburg, which until today is still officially called the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.

Be that as it may, it seems that the Western Cape capital is the front-runner in this decision as things stand.

McKenzie said a racetrack is currently under construction in Cape Town adjacent to the Fisantekraal airport, which is being purpose-built to host F1.