F1 could return to Africa for the first time in three decades with country set for ‘serious’ talks to host Grand Prix
FORMULA ONE chiefs are set to hold talks with representatives of Rwanda next month over a Grand Prix bid.
The F1 calendar is expected to expand in the near future amid the sport’s rapid growth in popularity.
And returning to Africa is understood to be a top priority for organisers.
The last time an F1 race took place in Africa was in 1993 at the Kyalami Circuit, South Africa.
While several countries in the region have expressed a desire to host a Grand Prix, Rwanda’s plans are considered the most advanced at this stage.
For that reason, F1 chiefs are prepared to hold talks with the country’s representatives.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed a meeting has been set up for next month.
He told Motorsport.com: “They 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.”
Domenicali continued: “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.
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“We need to be always very careful in making the right choices.”
Rwanda has shown an increasing interest in motorsport over the years.
Representatives of the Rwanda Development Board travelled to the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year to meet with the FIA.
The East African country will also host this year’s FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Ceremony in December.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly called for F1’s return to Africa.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last year, Hamilton said: “There’s one more race we need and that’s going to be Africa.
“We have all the other continents and why not there? So that’s the one I’m working on pushing right now.”
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