The Drive 🤝 your inbox. Every weekday
The Daily Brief wraps up the biggest stories and our exclusive reporting on the auto industry and car culture.
The pinnacle of motor racing will return to the African continent in the early 2030s, Formula 1 and FIA leadership confirmed Tuesday morning. Rwanda in East Africa will host the first GP in Bugesera, where a new, F1-specific circuit will be built over the coming years. Completion of the track is expected “early in the next decade.”
The announcement shared no other specifics, only that the track will sit at the center of a larger complex with sports, tourism, and commercial ventures. It will be located about 25 miles south of the capital city, Kigali, and strategically built near the new Kigali International Airport, which should help with event logistics.
Pascal Rondeau via Getty
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the deal represented “a success and a milestone for the entire continent, especially for the African fans,” adding that “For more than three decades, the world’s premier motorsport championship has raced without this continent, and that changes with this agreement.”
The continent last hosted an F1 race in 1993, the South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami Circuit, where Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, and Mark Blundell took to the podium.
Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com
Add The Drive as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting.
As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive’s short- and long-term coverage.
