The government of Rwanda and Formula 1 have announced a 10-year deal for a new African Grand Prix in capital Kigali, which will first be held in 2030 at the earliest.
F1 will head to a yet-to-be-built natural road course 40km south of Kigali, next to the Rwandan capital's under-construction Bugesera international airport. The first edition of the race, which is officially billed as 'Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda', could be held as early as 2030, depending on when construction of the track is completed.
Regardless of the start date, the deal is billed as a 10-year agreement which will see F1 head back to the African continent for the first time since the 1993 South African Grand Prix.
The deal was announced on Tuesday at a press conference in Kigali attended by Rwandan president Paul Kagame, F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The Bugesera track, designed by former driver Alex Wurz and his design company, will make full use of the natural terrain, creating a natural arena for fans to watch cars tackle the 6km, 17-corner anti-clockwise challenge - with no less than a 197m change in elevation per lap. It is part of a wider investment plan by the Rwandan Development Board in tourism, infrastructure and commercial development.
Damon Hill, Williams FW15C, leads Alessandro Zanardi, Lotus 107B, Rubens Barrichello, Jordan 193, and Ivan Capelli, Jordan 193
Photo by: Motorsport Images
"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 10-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."
Domenicali said: "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 Ben Sulayem added: "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."
Stefano Domenicali at African GP announcement in Rwanda
Photo by: Filip Cleeren
Talks between F1 and Rwanda over a race accelerated in 2024, with the central African nation keen to attract major sporting events to boost tourism and business. Last year Kigali hosted the UCI Road World Championships in cycling, and in 2024 it hosted the FIA's annual Prize Giving Ceremony, with Max Verstappen among the FIA world champions travelling to the country to collect his fourth F1 world title trophy.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been a long-time proponent of an F1 return to the African continent. "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."
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