Formula 1 will return to Africa after Rwanda was confirmed as host of races from the early 2030s. A 10-year agreement has been signed for the African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda, marking the sport's first return to the continent since the 1993 South African Grand Prix.
The first race in the country is set to take place once a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, 40 kilometres south of capital city Kigali, has been completed. Formula 1 said this is "expected to be early in the next decade".
Rwanda president Paul Kagame announced the agreement at a ceremony in Kigali on Tuesday morning. "Today belongs to Africa," he said. "For more than three decades, the world's premier motorsport championship has raced without this continent." Rwanda formally announced its bid in December 2024, when the country hosted an FIA gathering.
FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem hailed the agreement as "an historic moment for the sport", while Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali said the sport was determined to return "in the right way, with the right partner." Once Rwanda joins the calendar, F1 will race on every inhabited continent. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has long pushed for an African return, calling it "the most beautiful continent."
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing