Africa has not hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1993, when Kyalami last appeared on the championship calendar,
Williams F1 driver Alex Albon and SA Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie. Picture: Supplied.
South Africa’s hopes to host a Formula One (F1) Grand Prix got another endorsement after Williams F1 driver Alex Albon hailed the fans of the high-octane sport.
Albon made history in Johannesburg on 27 July, becoming the first active team driver to officially return to South Africa since Alain Prost’s 1993 Kyalami victory – a landmark visit that capped a nationwide roadshow and underscored Williams’ mission to bring Formula 1 closer to fans.
Williams F1
The Williams driver joins several current F1 drivers, including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who 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.
Albon said South Africa “lived up to the hype – the fans here are as passionate as it gets.”
“It shows just how important this kind of market is for us. There’s also obviously talk about a South African Grand Prix, and South Africa is a huge, growing country, so it’s great to establish our presence here.”
Ramaphosa the racer
Albon was also impressed with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s passion for F1.
“Just before coming here, we had a meeting with the president. It was very cool to hear, firstly, his passion for Formula One. He really is a racer, and I think that can only help there being a chance for a South African Grand Prix.
“It seems like you have an amazing racetrack (Kyalami) that’s ready to go. I remember driving that track as a kid on the PlayStation. So, everything’s there, the writing’s on the wall, but if it’s gonna happen, obviously, I think we would be huge fans, and we would be very happy to come here. But it shows just how important this kind of market is,” Albon said.
Neal Menashe, CEO, Super Group, said bringing Alex Albon and the Atlassian Williams F1 Team to South Africa creates experiences that bring people closer to the action, and to help bring the excitement of Formula 1 beyond the racetrack and into local communities.
Atlassian Williams F1 Driver Alex Albon and his team are in South Africa. It is part of efforts to bring Formula 1 and Williams closer to one of its most passionate fan bases. The visit is part of a month-long roadshow across Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. This is the first… pic.twitter.com/wC98dRr1br
– eNCA (@eNCA) July 27, 2026
F1 in SA
The debate over F1’s return to Africa has shifted from possibility to practicality, with South Africa now facing the decisive question of whether it can move fast enough – and with sufficient alignment – to seize an opportunity whose sporting, economic and developmental value is becoming increasingly undeniable.
After much anticipation, South African F1 fans were left disappointed earlier this year after it was announced that the country would not host a Grand Prix in 2027 because it had underestimated the requirements for staging an F1 race.
Gayton McKenzie
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said during a media briefing that President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed to join him at an F1 Grand Prix later this year.
“This is a working visit, not a social one. Its purpose is to support South Africa’s ambition to bring Formula One back to the African continent for the first time since our country became a democracy.”
Kyalami
However, while momentum has accelerated over the past year with Kyalami’s proposed upgrade path to FIA Grade 1 status, the standard required to host Formula 1 was approved in June 2025.
South Africa’s bid to bring F1 back to African soil is no longer a nostalgic sporting ambition; it is a commercially credible opportunity backed by hard numbers.
Africa has not hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1993, when Kyalami last appeared on the championship calendar, and it remains the only inhabited continent still absent from the Formula 1 calendar today.
F1 fever
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.
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 expected to be the date of the South African F1 Grand Prix, with McKenzie making several announcements about the sport coming to the country that year.
