Lewis Hamilton wants F1 back on the African continent (Image: Getty)
FIA steward Johnny Herbert wants to see F1 return to South Africa, giving more backing to ’s plan to get cars back racing around the iconic Kyalami Circuit.
Despite F1 being branded as a World Championship, Africa has been without a race since the most recent running of the South African Grand Prix. This isn’t for a lack of trying though, as the sport’s most decorated driver has been championing its return for the last few years.
There’s one more race we need and that’s going to be Africa,” he said last year. “We have all the other continents and why not there? So that’s the one I’m working on pushing right now.”
Herbert, who was on the grid for the most recent race at Kyalami back in 1993, told : “There is a lot of talk about race in Thailand. I loved South Africa and Kyalami, and it would be great to go back there. It would be great to be back in Africa and the circuit is a great challenge. I loved everything about it.”
However, if South Africa is to join the calendar then something will need to give. According to Herbert, the Chinese Grand Prix is the leading contender to drop off the grid. “There was a clamour by some people for Monaco [to leave the calendar],” he continued.
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Herbert supports getting Kyalami back on the F1 calendar (Image: Getty)
“But that has just had an extension on its contract and rightly so. It is one of the best. People have said some of the races there are boring. But not every football match is stunning. There are a lot of boring football, tennis and cricket matches. Every sport has good and bad days, good and bad places. Monaco is very special. Maybe China because of the circuit.”
Herbert isn’t the only former driver pushing for Kyalami to return to the schedule. Former star David Coulthard drove the title-winning RB7 machine around the track in a demonstration run for his former team.
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After the track session, Coulthard said: “Driving the RB7 here at Kyalami was unforgettable. With South Africa’s energy and Kyalami’s world-class track, it’s clear the country is ready to rejoin the F1 calendar.”
South African officials are working hard to get their country back on the calendar, but they face significant competition. Thailand, South Korea, Rwanda and Argentina are among the other nations vying for a spot on an already-crowded calendar.