Several current F1 drivers including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton have called for the sport to return to South Africa.
South African Formula One (F1) racing fans will have to wait a little longer to experience the high-octane sport, after the country underestimated the requirements for staging a grand prix.
F1 fever in South Africa hit the headlines when Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie met with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at the Azerbaijan Formula 1 event in September 2024.
No more 2027
At the time, McKenzie said South Africa was “one step closer to bringing F1 to the country while at the same event, he also had an “extremely good meeting with President Mohammed Ben Sulayem of the FIA”, where they discussed support for South Africa’s F1 bid.
2027 was always an expected date for the South African F1 Grand Prix, with McKenzie making several announcements about the sport coming to the country during that year.
However, 2027 may not be the year for South Africa after all and having F1 cars racing around a track in the country will have to wait a little longer.
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Underestimated requirements
While McKenzie admits the country underestimated the requirements for staging an F1 event, he said they have not given up and that a team of experts has been appointed to prepare a stronger bid for 2028 or 2029.
“Well, next year, definitely not, because we have underestimated what is required to host the F1 event. But F1 has held our hand. So now what we’re doing is, we’ve got the experts, and we’re putting together a bid. We give them an offer, they can’t refuse,” McKenzie told eNCA.
Kyalami
The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit is the favourite to host an F1 race if and when it comes to South Africa.
Kyalami has taken proactive steps by engaging the services of Apex Circuit Design (Apex) to prepare a roadmap for FIA Grade 1 accreditation, a requirement to host a modern Formula 1 event.
Kyalami owner, Toby Venter, told a media contingent, including The Citizen, that Kyalami had been deemed 90% ready for an F1 race.
“As things stand, we could host Formula 1 as early as 2027 or 2028.”
Venter told The Citizen that they have already started with minor upgrades to the circuit.
Lewis Hamilton
Several current F1 drivers, including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, have called for the sport to return to South Africa.
“We can’t be adding races in other locations and continuing to ignore Africa,” Hamilton said.
While enthusiasm for Formula 1 has been confined to television screens for South African fans since 1993, the applause for the sport’s return to the country might just drown out the sound of 20 racing cars on the starting grid.
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