South Africa’s pursuit of Formula 1 continues. The African nation—along with Rwanda, one of the most interested in hosting a Grand Prix in recent years, aiming to bring the sport back to a continent absent from the calendar since 1993—has extended the deadline to March 18, 2025, for the submission of Requests for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) to host an F1 race.

The announcement came directly from Minister Gayton McKenzie, who has been actively working to bring South Africa back into the world championship calendar. The purpose of this extension is to give local organizers more time to submit bids, from which an official candidate will be selected and presented to F1 leadership.

More options on the table

“Hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix would boost our economy, tourism, and development while showcasing South Africa as one of the world’s top sporting destinations,” McKenzie stated. “This extension ensures that bidders have the necessary time to prepare outstanding proposals.”

Among the potential venues under consideration is not only the historic Kyalami circuit but also the possibility of a street race in Cape Town. With at least another month and a half for interested parties to prepare a viable proposal, South Africa’s dream of returning to the F1 calendar remains very much alive.

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Cape Town or Kyalami?
The permanent Kyalami circuit was recently modernized and its facilities renovated to meet FIA safety standards, and it would theoretically be ready to host a South African F1 GP. However, it’s undeniable that the recent trend under Liberty Media has been to bring races into cities, with easily accessible circuits for fans on foot or via public transport. The latest example is Madrid, which will host the Spanish GP for ten years starting in 2026. According to many local newspapers, the authorities are also considering Cape Town’s bid, rather than focusing solely on Kyalami.

Circuit features
The proposed layout could partly resemble the street circuit used for the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix, won by local Porsche driver Antonio Felix Da Costa. The circuit used for the electric single-seater championship was 2.9 km long, while the one proposed for F1 would stretch to 5.7 km, still running around the stadium located in the coastal Green Point district. This wouldn’t be the first time Cape Town has put forward a proposal to host F1. Back in 2007, a promotional committee at the time had suggested building a circuit near Cape Town International Airport, about 20 km from the Green Point area.

Next steps for the South African GP
The next steps will be for the South African government to decide which of the two bids—Kyalami or Cape Town—to support and then submit a formal proposal to Liberty Media for the return of Formula 1. In a recent interview, Minister McKenzie explicitly mentioned the goal of 2027, acknowledging that Kyalami has a significant advantage, as the track is already ready and has a decent motorsport tradition, both in organizing international races and local events.

South Africa will also need to overcome competition from Rwanda, a country increasingly interested in boosting its image through sports, which recently hosted the FIA end-of-year awards ceremony. It is possible that one of the two candidates could alternate with Spa, which has renewed its agreement until 2031 but announced a rotation with other tracks (yet to be confirmed) in 2028 and 2030.

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In an interview with SuperSport, Gayton McKenzie confirmed Kyalami as the venue for the event and shared significant developments: “Let me say this: when I announced that my term would be a failure if we didn’t bring F1 to South Africa, everyone laughed because South Africans tend to underestimate themselves,” he stated. “I said, ‘I will start the work,’ and my team delivered, meeting with F1 twice. Now, for the first time, I can announce that we will establish a committee next week. This committee will select the promoter, and the race will be held at Kyalami.” – he pointed out.

South Africa continues negotiations with Liberty Media and the FIA, alongside Apex-led upgrades to the circuit that could bring the Grand Prix back to the calendar. Gayton McKenzie added: “Kyalami is doing what needs to be done. Toby and Willie Venter (the circuit’s directors) are doing excellent work to bring Kyalami to F1 standards. They have invested money into this project and are working with Apex, which is upgrading the track to meet F1 requirements. We are ensuring we can host the Grand Prix, and I believe we’re looking at 2027. It’s coming.” – South Africa’s Minister of Sport concluded.

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South Africa is serious about bringing Formula 1 back home as soon as possible. The first hurdle has been cleared, namely obtaining FIA Grade 1 certification, which will allow it to host a Grand Prix of the highest series.

The work has therefore been completed under the supervision of Apex Circuit Design, a motorsport engineering consulting firm specializing in the design and construction of circuit infrastructure.

With Grade 1 obtained, negotiations continue with FIA and Liberty Media to secure a spot on the calendar. The organizers intend to bring a race to Africa as early as 2027, leveraging the strong support already received from key figures directly involved, such as Lewis Hamilton.

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Kyalami replacing Spa-Francorchamps: An idea that fell through
In this way, the economic complications seemed to be nearing a solution, with Formula 1 inching closer to a return to Africa. Moreover, this event would have replaced another historic appointment like the one at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, which was facing difficulties in contract renewal negotiations. However, the situation has almost completely reversed, but this time not due to economic reasons.

The reason for giving up on South Africa
While the Belgian Grand Prix has not yet confirmed reaching an agreement to stay in the sport, what is certain is the definitive withdrawal of South Africa, at least according to racingnews365.com. The main reason is primarily related to a political reality, given South Africa’s proximity to Russia. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Formula 1 had sanctioned Russia by excluding the Grand Prix from the championship and by not allowing any Russian or Belarusian drivers to participate unless they signed a neutrality agreement.

Proximity to Russia
South Africa, as part of the association of emerging economies (BRICS) along with Russia and other countries, did not denounce or sanction Russia for the war in Ukraine, adopting a neutral stance. Furthermore, the United States has accused South Africa of supplying weapons to Russia to support its war efforts, thus emphasizing the alignment between the country and the Kremlin. For this reason, the possibility of organizing a GP in the near future is therefore untenable.

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Contacts initiated
The management of Formula 1 still hopes to be able to have another race in South Africa, the first since 1993. The top management has done everything possible to introduce it already this year, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the last Grand Prix, but an economic agreement has not been found with the promoter of the circuit. The Kyalami organizers have not kept all their promises, but perhaps also with the help of the government, they are determined to return to the sport as early as next year. This was reported by de Telegraaf, according to which there will already be important news within the next few weeks.

Spa-Francorchamps at risk
The lack of agreement between the promoter and Formula 1 meant that Spa-Francorchamps had even more chances to stay in Formula 1 for now: the Belgian circuit obtained a contract extension, but only by one year, which shows that its place on the calendar is in constant discussion. At the moment there is no certainty that the historic Belgian track will also appear on the calendar for next season, and indeed its permanence seems to depend a lot on the fate of China and South Africa: if both are confirmed for the 2024 championship, the current Concorde Agreement would exclude Spa-Francorchamps, and it would be a tremendous loss for the Formula 1 World Championship.

Improvements are needed
The Kyalami track was renovated in 2020 and since then has hosted the GTC Championship and the South African Touring Car Championship. It was the venue for a Formula 1 Grand Prix from 1967 to 1985 and subsequently in 1992 and 1993: at the moment it has a grade 2 license, but a transition to grade 1 is required to host a Formula 1 World Championship race. Modifications are therefore necessary for the Kyalami track to become compatible with the standards of modern Formula 1.

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The Vietnamese newspaper VietnamExpress reported this information, confirming that the goal of Formula 1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali would be to increase the number of races per season up to “at least 25”.

Stefano Domenicali was to have a meeting with Vietnamese authorities before the Melbourne weekend. “The chances of seeing a Vietnam Grand Prix have suddenly increased with the news of Stefano Domenicali’s visit to Hanoi before arriving in Australia,” writes VietnamExpress.

The Vietnamese newspaper reports that the local authorities have not yet expressed their opinion: “The Popular Committee of Hanoi has yet to confirm the news”, they added. There were also updates on the status of the infrastructure: “At the moment, most of it has been dismantled and land amounting to 300,000 square meters has been returned by the Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation to the Department of Culture and Sports in Hanoi.”

What do we know about Formula 1’s return to South Africa?
Changing latitude and flying to South Africa, GrandPrix.com reveals: “Local sources have stated that, given the failure of private investors to negotiate for 2023, the Pretoria government has decided to start the negotiations in person, already paying 50 million, out of a total cost that could increase to 250 million.”

The only obstacle appears to be the homologation of the circuit: “It seems that the safety of the last corner is the last issue. It will require some work to allow the FIA to homologate the track.”

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Three decades have passed since the Kyalami circuit last hosted Formula 1 Grand Prix. However, there were talks regarding a possible return on the Formula 1 calendar in 2023, taking the sport back to Africa after a long time. Former Ferrari boss and current F1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali had expressed the sport’s ‘commitment’ to reach an agreement on this matter last year, but eventually the 2023 calendar was confirmed without the presence of Kyalami, which made it clear that negotiation did not reach a positive outcome.

In a recent interview for Total Motorsport, 1979 Formula 1 world champions Jody Scheckter revealed that “I was an inside part of it, my nephew worked on it for six years. It was that close. The guy from Kyalami went from 500,000 to 2 million, and he wanted to take the whole thing over. Formula 1 came over to sign. He had got government backing, some of the wealthiest people in South Africa behind it. Everything was in place, and the guy from Kyalami got greedy. Just as soon as F1 left, he changed the whole thing completely. The government realised there was a fight [going on] and withdrew, and that was the end. Maybe it’ll happen back here again. I don’t know.” – the former Ferrari driver explained.

“My nephew had been working on it for six years, nearly full-time. Because going [through the] government and getting [their support] and for them all to agree to put some budget in and then to secure the money. It takes a massive amount [of effort]. All of a sudden, it was over, and he was left with nothing.” – a disappointed Jody Scheckter concluded.

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Now, the race-obsessed country has been holding its breath as talks resumed to have Formula 1 return after 30 years. Drivers have repeatedly voiced their support to have the race return to our shores. Then there are the fans, like Hammanskraal sculptor Hendrik Chebanga, who has crafted intricate vehicles to celebrate his life-long passion for racing (and for Hamilton). If Formula 1 does return to the continent, it would call Kyalami home. So, what does it take to host this global event, and why did it not work out for 2023? And might there be good news for fans about 2024 with negotiations already underway in London? Carte Blanche explores the reasons it should make a local comeback.

— see video above —

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Here is what the Italian sport newspaper published in Turin reports about a possible return of Formula 1 to South Africa:

“Today there is the possibility to bring racing back to South Africa. Some attempts have already been made, but in the end financial support has been lacking, in particular from the government. Now the decision seems to be in the hands of entrepreneur Bobby Hartslief, who had already managed to save the race in the 80s and who confirmed that he is working on putting together an offer for a new Grand Prix.” – Tuttosport informs.

The news
“The most striking update (and also the most interesting of all) is that F1 would no longer run on the Kyalami track (an attempt to race here was recently carried out, but it seems without a positive outcome) but it would be a matter of creating a street circuit at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (JEC), which is South Africa’s largest purpose-built exhibition, conference, convention and events venue, one of Johannesburg’s best-known landmarks.

Bobby Hartslief’s confirmation
“Bobby Hartslief recently confirmed the rumors: ‘Yes, I have been contacted to give advice on this matter. And that is the idea.’ The circuit could be located between the city and the stadium where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after the liberation (in 1990) and made his last public appearance at the closing ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.” – Tuttosport reports.

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