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South Africa intensifies plans for Formula One comeback

The South African government has launched a tender and is looking for a suitable race track to be a Formula One location from 2026

South Africa is pushing back onto the Formula 1 calendar: The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture under Gayton McKenzie has launched an “expression of interest tender” to identify a possible location for a Grand Prix from 2026 or 2027 – for a targeted period of ten years.

Sport Minister McKenzie speaks of an “exciting step on our journey to bring Formula 1 back to South Africa”.

The bid shows that his country is serious: “We want to prove that we are able to host a top-class motorsport event.” In addition, South Africa is keen to showcase its “continued ambitions for economic growth and global recognition,” said McKenzie.

Expert committee reviews submissions

In the first phase of the project, which runs until January 31, 2025, the ministry wants to find potential partners for the Formula One project. In a second phase, the applicants will have to substantiate their individual proposals so that in the end there is one promoter that “meets all requirements and expectations”.

The ministry has set up a committee of experts to sift through the individual approaches, and its first task was to draw up the call for tenders. This committee has developed some relevant criteria that potential applicants must meet in order to have a realistic chance.

South Africa plans for 125,000 spectators per day

A potential venue in South Africa must fulfill a number of requirements: The race track should be reachable from a large city within half an hour “using different means of transportation.” The surrounding area must have sufficient hotel rooms and other tourist attractions to accommodate race visitors and participants.

The spectator capacity is where it gets interesting: the ministry expects 125,000 visitors per day. In addition, there are 5,000 people working on the track every day.

Which race tracks come into question

Realistically, only the Kyalami Circuit near Midrand can currently meet the eight-page requirements. The circuit is located between the two major cities of Pretoria in the north and Johannesburg in the south and is easily accessible from both cities.

Kyalami has also hosted several Formula 1 races in the past, but has not been a Grand Prix venue since 1993. And: Kyalami currently only has a grade 2 rating, which would not be sufficient for Formula 1. However, an upgrade to grade 1 seems conceivable.

There are currently no other race tracks in South Africa with a grade 2 or even a grade 1 rating. Existing facilities would therefore have to be extensively modified to meet the required standard.

Even the city circuit in Cape Town, which last hosted Formula E in 2023, would not be up to Formula One standards: the International Automobile Federation (FIA) only classifies the circuit as a Grade 3.

Competition in Africa

To make matters worse for South Africa’s Formula 1 efforts, South Africa is not the only African country interested in its own Grand Prix. Rwanda is also entering Formula 1, has already submitted an official bid and hosted the official FIA World Cup gala in December 2024.

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