Key Highlights:
- Formula 1 and the government of Rwanda have signed a 10-year agreement to host the ‘Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda’, scheduled to debut as early as 2030.
- The race will take place on a newly designed 6km, 17-corner natural road circuit in Bugesera, featuring 197 meters of elevation change per lap alongside a new international airport.
- The contract marks Formula 1’s confirmed return to the African continent for the first time since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
Formula 1 Seals Landmark 10-Year Agreement for African Grand Prix in Rwanda
Formula 1 has confirmed a landmark 10-year contract with the government of Rwanda to host the official ‘Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda’. Formally announced at a press conference in Kigali, the event will mark the pinnacle of motorsport’s long-awaited return to the African continent, with the inaugural running projected for 2030 at the earliest, contingent upon track construction timelines.
The high-profile announcement brought together key international and national sporting leaders in Kigali, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Formula 1 CEO and President Stefano Domenicali, and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The agreement represents the culmination of discussions that accelerated significantly throughout 2024, fitting into Rwanda’s broader national strategy to establish itself as a primary global destination for elite sporting fixtures, commercial investment, and tourism.
Bugesera Circuit Design and Infrastructure Development
The newly commissioned racing venue will be situated roughly 40 kilometers south of the capital Kigali in Bugesera, positioned adjacent to Rwanda’s under-construction Bugesera International Airport. The project is being developed in a collaborative partnership involving renowned track designers Tilke Engineering & Architects, former Grand Prix driver Alex Wurz alongside his firm WurzDesign, and engineering consultancy DAR. Incorporated into a major investment plan orchestrated by the Rwandan Development Board, the layout is designed to capitalize on the region’s topography to form a natural amphitheater for spectators.
The proposed permanent facility will challenge drivers across a 6-kilometer, 17-corner anti-clockwise course boasting a dramatic 197-meter variation in elevation per lap. Track organizers plan to blend modern technical grade-one safety and sporting standards with the surrounding landscape while expanding regional transportation networks and economic facilities.
Addressing the significance of the event, Rwandan President Paul Kagame stated:
“Today belongs to Africa. For more than three decades, the world’s premier motorsport championship has raced without this continent, and that changes with this agreement,” said president Kagame. “Rwanda is proud to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, and to share this moment with more than 100 million fans across Africa, many of them young people who deserve to see the sport at home and to see themselves in it: as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and, one day, drivers.
“This ten-year partnership is also an investment in Rwanda’s future. The circuit in Bugesera, alongside the new international airport, will bring jobs, skills, tourism and new business to our country and our region for decades to come, because our aim was never a single race weekend, but a lasting benefit for our people.”
Advertisement
Global Leadership Welcomes Continental Expansion
Formula 1 leadership has long prioritized establishing a round in Africa to ensure championship status across every inhabited continent. Stefano Domenicali stressed both the cultural scale and strategic importance of the venture:
“Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1. With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent, bringing the World Championship closer than ever to fans around the globe. Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the beginning we were determined to return in the right way, with the right partner, a long-term commitment and a clear vision for creating meaningful impact.
“This is about much more than hosting a Grand Prix. Together, we can create lasting economic and social benefits through tourism, investment, skills development and local business growth, ensuring the positive impact of this event is felt for generations. For our fans, this is an especially exciting moment. Africa is home to more than 100 million Formula 1 fans, and that number continues to grow rapidly.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem corroborated the governing body’s technical backing for the facility, remarking:
“The return of the FIA Formula One World Championship to Africa is a historic moment for our sport and an important step in the continued global growth of motorsport. Rwanda has demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering a world-class event, and the FIA will work closely with FOM and our partners as this new circuit is developed to the highest international standards.”
The move also addresses persistent campaigning from prominent drivers on the grid. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has vocally supported bringing Grand Prix racing back to the region, highlighting Rwanda specifically during discussions earlier in the season:
“For the past six years I’ve been fighting in the background to get a grand prix,” he said earlier this year. “So, sitting with the stakeholders and asking them the question, why are we not in Africa? We’re on every other continent, why not Africa? I know they’re really trying.
“The ones that I’ve enjoyed the most so far [were] Kenya, and Rwanda was particularly spectacular – two places I felt like I could live. And South Africa. I think those are the ones that I think would be good places for us to potentially go to.”
Why This Matters
Africa has remained missing from the official Formula 1 calendar since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. Establishing a permanent championship round in Kigali fulfills Formula 1’s long-standing ambition to restore true global representation across all inhabited continents while servicing an estimated fan base of over 100 million across Africa.
Furthermore, the 10-year commitment bolsters Rwanda’s profile as an emerging sports tourism and international hosting hub. The nation previously organized the UCI Road World Championships in cycling and welcomed drivers—including four-time world champion Max Verstappen—when Kigali served as the venue for the FIA’s annual Prize Giving Ceremony in 2024. Coupling the new Grade 1 racing circuit directly to the new international airport development in Bugesera ensures prolonged investment in transportation, local engineering capacity, and broader economic infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the first Formula 1 African Grand Prix take place?
Under the new 10-year deal between Formula 1 and Rwanda, the inaugural Grand Prix is scheduled to be held in 2030 at the earliest, with the exact launch year depending on the completion of circuit and venue construction.
Where will the Rwandan Formula 1 track be located?
The race will be contested on a custom-designed, anti-clockwise natural road course located in Bugesera, approximately 40 kilometers south of Kigali, situated alongside Rwanda’s new under-construction international airport.
When did Formula 1 last hold a Grand Prix in Africa?
The last Formula 1 World Championship race held on the African continent was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami Circuit.
