A deal signed in Kigali
Formula 1 will return to Africa in the early 2030s after Rwanda signed a 10-year agreement to host a grand prix. The deal was announced in Kigali on Tuesday by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali, and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The race will be held on a new track to be built southeast of the capital, in the Bugesera area.
Africa has not hosted a Formula 1 race since 1993, when the championship ran at Kyalami in South Africa. Kagame first announced Rwanda's bid in December 2024, when he addressed the FIA General Assembly in Kigali.
Hamilton and F1 leadership welcome the move
Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion with 106 grand prix wins, has been the most prominent driver pushing for a return to Africa. Domenicali called the continent "the missing piece" in the championship's global footprint. Ben Sulayem said the agreement opened a new chapter in the sport's history.
The series has expanded quickly into new markets in recent years, adding races in the United States and the Middle East, but had left Africa, a continent of 55 countries, off the calendar entirely.
Criticism over cost and rights record
The announcement drew immediate questions about Rwanda's human rights record, and critics describe the race as sportswashing. The country has also faced scrutiny over its role in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Africa, which hosted the last African race, was not mentioned in F1's statement. Sports minister Gayton McKenzie said South Africa would get a race of its own, even before 2030, arguing that no continent should be limited to one event while Italy has hosted two races in a season.
Rwanda still needs to build the circuit and the supporting infrastructure, and questions remain about who will pay for a project of this size.