F1 and the government of Rwanda have reached “a 10-year deal for a new African Grand Prix in the capital Kigali,” which “will first be held in 2030 at the earliest.” F1 will race at “a yet-to-be-built natural road course 40km south of Kigali, next to the Rwandan capital’s under-construction Bugesera international airport.” The first edition of the race, officially billed as “Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda,” could be held “as early as 2030, depending on when construction of the track is completed.” The new deal sees F1 head back to the African continent for the first time since the 1993 South African GP. The deal was announced Tuesday at a press conference in Kigali attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, F1 President & CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem (MOTORSPORT, 10/13).
The circuit is being “developed in conjunction with WurzDesign,” the track design firm founded by ex-F1 driver Alexander Wurz, and the “renowned Tilke engineering group that has helped design and construct a number of F1 tracks” (THE ATHLETIC, 10/13).
The grand prix in Rwanda “will be added to an already packed F1 calendar, which is currently maxed out” with the sport’s self-imposed limit of 24 rounds per season. Races in Portugal and Türkiye are “set to return to the schedule next year, following on from the addition of a new venue in Madrid this year” (ESPN.com, 10/13).