Lewis Hamilton and F1 may be heading to Africa (Image: Getty)
’s chances of racing in Africa before the end of his F1 career have received a fresh boost after Rwanda officially confirmed their plans to bid for a spot on the calendar.
Hamilton’s desire to see F1 race in Africa is no secret, and the British driver has even suggested that he won’t step away from the series before that dream is realised. Until recently, the return of the South African Grand Prix looked to be the most realistic avenue through which this could be achieved.
Now, a second African nation has joined the table. Rwanda joins the likes of South Korea, Thailand and Argentina in pushing for a Grand Prix event on an ever-expanding F1 calendar. With the Dutch Grand Prix running its final race in 2026, there is now a much-coveted space freed up.
Rwanda’s event, if successful, will be hosted at a yet-to-be-constructed purpose-built racetrack near the Bugesera airport, close to the national capital of Kigali. The circuit will be designed by former F1 driver and current Grand Prix Drivers’ Association co-chair Alexander Wurz.
Discussing the bid at the FIA General Assembly, which was hosted in Kigali, president Paul Kagame said: “I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa by hosting the F1 Grand Prix.
“A big thank you to Stefano [Domenicali] and the entire team at F1 for the good progress in our discussions so far. I assure you that we are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment which it deserves. Together, we will build something we can all be proud of.”
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F1 could be heading to Kigali in the near future (Image: Getty)
Earlier this year, Domenicali said he was impressed with Rwanda’s plans after meeting with officials. “They are serious,” he told . “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.”
This will be music to the ears of Hamilton, who has been pushing for a return to Africa at every possible opportunity. “We can’t be adding races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world just takes from,” he said.
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“No one gives anything to Africa. There’s a huge amount of work that needs to be done there. I think a lot of the world that haven’t been there don’t realise how beautiful the place is [and] how vast it is.
“I think having a Grand Prix there, it would really be able to highlight just how great the place is and bring in tourism and all sorts of things. Why are we not on that continent?”