OFFICIAL: Formula 1 racing announce African Grand Prix

Formula 1 will return to Africa for the first time since 1993 after Rwanda secured a 10-year agreement to host the African Grand Prix, with a new circuit planned for Bugesera, about 40 kilometres south of Kigali.

The deal, announced on Tuesday, October 13, will bring the championship back to the continent in the early 2030s once the purpose-built circuit is completed.

The race will be branded the Formula 1 African Grand Prix and will mark a major milestone in the country’s push to establish itself as an international destination for sport and tourism. 

The new venue will be developed to FIA Grade 1 standards, the highest circuit certification required to host Formula 1, as part of a wider sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development project led by the Rwanda Development Board.

Formula 1 says the circuit will work in harmony with the natural landscape, using Bugesera’s elevation changes to create a challenging racing experience while offering spectators strong views of the action. 

Design work involves WurzDesign, led by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz, and Tilke Engineers and Architects, the company behind several circuits on the championship calendar. 

The venue is planned beside the new Kigali International Airport, positioning the race close to a major transport project. Beyond the Grand Prix, it is intended to host international motorsport, conferences, entertainment and other major events throughout the year.

Rwanda’s agreement is a significant setback for South Africa’s renewed attempt to bring Formula 1 back to Kyalami. 

South Africa’s government appointed a bid steering committee in December 2024 and opened an expression-of-interest process in January 2025 for promoters interested in bringing a Grand Prix to the country from 2026/27 onwards. 

Kyalami, near Johannesburg, was central to the campaign, with officials also considering the requirements for a viable bid and the circuit upgrades needed to meet Formula 1 standards. 

Rwanda formally announced its interest in hosting a race in December 2024, when President Paul Kagame addressed the FIA General Assembly in Kigali. It has now secured an agreement. 

South Africa’s history with the championship remains significant. The last African Grand Prix was held at Kyalami on March 14, 1993, when Alain Prost won for Williams-Renault ahead of Ayrton Senna and Mark Blundell. 

That race was the final Formula 1 event staged on African soil, leaving the continent absent from the calendar for more than three decades.