Rwandan president Paul Kagame confirms bid to host F1 grand prix
Rwanda hosts the FIA’s end-of-season prize-giving gala in Kigali on Friday night
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Your support makes all the difference.Rwanda is bidding to host a Formula One race in the future, the country’s president Paul Kagame announced on Friday.
Rwandan motorsport officials held talks with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali in September, with the sport targeting a return to the African continent. South Africa are also eyeing a spot on the calendar in 2027.
Yet speaking ahead of the FIA’s end-of-season prize-giving gala in Kigali on Friday night, Kagame confirmed that the East African country is also looking to host a race.
“I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa, by hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix,” Kagame said, on Friday morning.
"A big thank you to Stefano Domenicali and the entire team at Formula 1 for the good progress in our discussions so far.
“I assure you that we are approaching this opportunity with seriousness and commitment which it deserves."
Rwanda are looking at the prospect of building a permanent track near the planned Bugesera airport, just outside Kigali.
The East African country has entered the domain of sports sponsorship in recent years, entering into partnerships with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Domenicali told Autosport in August: “They [Rwanda] are serious. They have presented a good plan and actually we have a meeting with them at the end of September. It will be on a permanent track.
“We want to go to Africa but we need to have the right investment and the right strategic plan.
“We need to have the right moment and we need to make sure that also in that country, in that region, in that continent, there is the right welcoming because of course they have other priorities. We need to be always very careful in making the right choices.”
F1 has not raced in Africa since 1993, when the Kyalami circuit hosted the last iteration of the South Africa grand Prix.
South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie stated this week that Kyalami could return to the F1 schedule in the near future, setting a prospective date of 2027.
The axing of the Dutch Grand Prix after 2026 means there is a spot open on the schedule for 2027 and beyond.
The long-term futures of Imola and Barcelona, with the addition of Madrid from 2026, could also open up another spot on the schedule with South Korea, Thailand and Argentina also interested in joining the schedule
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