Rwanda awarded African Grand Prix as Formula 1 confirms long-awaited return to continent

Formula 1 has confirmed it will return to Africa in the early 2030s, with Rwanda selected to host a new African Grand Prix at a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, around 40km south of the capital Kigali.

The race will end a near four-decade absence for the FIA Formula One World Championship from the continent. The last grand prix in Africa took place in 1993 at Kyalami in South Africa, meaning an entire generation of African fans has grown up without a home race.

The new event, officially titled the African Grand Prix and presented by Visit Rwanda, will form part of a 10-year partnership between the Rwandan authorities and Formula 1. Various locations had previously been discussed as possible hosts for an F1 return to Africa, including Kyalami as well as venues in Morocco and Nigeria, but Rwanda has ultimately been chosen after a run of high-profile international events in recent years.

Strategic choice for F1 calendar and governance

The agreement gives Formula 1 a presence on all inhabited continents once the race joins the schedule in the early 2030s, strengthening the championship’s geographic spread and long-stated ambition to be a truly global series. It comes at a time when the calendar has expanded significantly, with race-hosting decisions increasingly shaped by long-term commercial contracts, infrastructure investment and governmental backing.

Rwanda’s candidacy has been reinforced by its existing ties with the sport’s leadership and with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body responsible for sanctioning the Formula One World Championship. In 2024, the FIA’s general assembly and its annual prize-giving ceremony were held in Kigali, underlining Rwanda’s positioning as a partner for major motorsport and mobility events.

President Paul Kagame has attended multiple grands prix in recent seasons and is described as having warm relations with F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Those relationships have now translated into a decade-long agreement that places Rwanda at the centre of Formula 1’s next phase of global expansion.

New Bugesera circuit anchored to Kigali’s growth plans

The African Grand Prix will be staged at a new circuit in Bugesera, adjacent to the new Kigali International Airport. The track is being designed to integrate with the surrounding landscape, with F1 stating that it will “work in harmony with the natural landscape, using the area’s elevation changes to create a unique and challenging racing experience while delivering exceptional viewing opportunities for fans.”

That design brief is significant in competitive terms. Modern F1 circuits are required to balance safety standards with overtaking opportunities, high-speed sections and technical sequences that test both car and driver. Elevation changes can help create blind entries, varied braking zones and natural amphitheatres for spectators, elements that often influence how a venue is perceived by teams and fans once it joins the calendar.

Beyond the racing line itself, the Rwandan government and F1 are positioning the project as a long-term development catalyst. It is hoped the circuit will support “long-term economic growth and investment across the region,” leveraging its proximity to the airport to attract visitors and motorsport-related businesses well beyond a single race weekend.

Hamilton’s long-held push for an African race

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world drivers’ champion, has for several years been one of the most prominent voices calling for F1 to return to Africa. He has linked the absence of a race on the continent to wider questions of representation and access within the sport, repeatedly stressing that African fans and aspiring engineers, mechanics and drivers should be able to see Formula 1 in their own region.

Earlier this season, Hamilton stated he would not retire until a grand prix was held in Africa. Should the first race take place in 2030, he would be 45 years old. Whether or not he is still on the grid by then, his advocacy has added sporting and symbolic weight to the drive to bring the championship back to the continent.

“Today belongs to Africa”: Kagame hails landmark deal

Announcing the agreement, President Kagame framed the race as a continental, rather than solely national, milestone, emphasising the scale of Formula 1’s fan base across Africa.

He described the news as belonging to the “more than 100 million fans” on the continent and highlighted the importance of young people “who deserve to see the sport at home and to see themselves in it: as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and, one day, drivers.”

Kagame stressed that the 10-year partnership is designed as an investment in Rwanda’s future, with the circuit in Bugesera and the adjacent international airport expected to generate jobs, skills development, tourism and new business for both the country and the wider region “for decades to come.” He made clear that the ambition was “never a single race weekend, but a lasting benefit for our people,” underlining how closely the project is tied to national development planning.

In his remarks, Kagame thanked Domenicali, Formula 1 and Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the work leading to the announcement and said Rwanda looked forward to welcoming the world for the African Grand Prix.

FIA: historic return and focus on legacy

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem described the return of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship to Africa as a “historic moment” and an important step in motorsport’s continued global growth. He said Rwanda had shown a strong commitment to delivering a world-class event and that the FIA would work closely with Formula One Management and local partners as the new circuit is developed to the highest international standards.

Ben Sulayem also placed the agreement firmly within the FIA’s broader mission. He highlighted goals of creating a lasting legacy, inspiring new generations, developing talent and opening opportunities for motorsport across Africa and beyond. He said that increasing accessibility sits at the heart of the FIA’s work and that the organisation has a responsibility to ensure the sport grows at every level and reaches new communities worldwide.

The FIA president congratulated Kagame on the landmark moment for Rwanda and expressed his thanks to Domenicali and others whose collaboration has led to this “exciting new chapter” for the championship.

Calendar, commercial and competitive implications

Formula 1 has not yet confirmed the exact year in the early 2030s when the African Grand Prix will debut, nor where it will sit within the season. Nonetheless, several implications are already clear for the series and its teams.

• Calendar balance: Adding an African round gives F1 a more evenly distributed global footprint, with races in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and now Africa once Bugesera joins. That balance is increasingly relevant as the championship weighs commercial bids against sustainability targets and logistical efficiency.
• Commercial strategy: Long-term race contracts have become central to F1’s business model. A 10-year partnership in Rwanda offers stability for planning and investment, both for the championship and for local organisers seeking to justify significant outlays on infrastructure and event staging.
• Competitive preparation: For teams and drivers, a new circuit means fresh simulation work, unfamiliar track evolution and a new set of conditions to master. Elevation changes and a brand-new surface typically affect tyre degradation, braking demands and car set-up, all of which can influence race outcomes in the early years of a grand prix.

For African drivers and engineers aiming for elite motorsport, the presence of a world championship event on the continent can also reshape pathways. A home grand prix tends to support the emergence of feeder categories, driver academies and technical programmes, providing more visible routes into the higher tiers of racing.

Rwanda’s wider sports and events strategy

The African Grand Prix aligns with Rwanda’s broader use of sport and major events as a vehicle for tourism promotion and economic diversification. Hosting the FIA general assembly and prize-giving in Kigali in 2024 was a notable marker of the country’s positioning within global motorsport governance, while the new circuit and airport complex at Bugesera are intended to reinforce Rwanda’s role as a regional transport and events hub.

The race also fits within a wider institutional context in Formula 1. Decisions on new venues are made within the framework of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council and its circuit homologation processes, which set the safety and technical requirements that Bugesera will have to meet before staging a world championship round.

A note accompanying early visual material for the project stresses that any published render of the track is an initial concept only and “not representative of the final track design or layout,” underlining that detailed work on the circuit configuration is still ongoing.

A continent back on the grid

For Formula 1, returning to Africa closes a conspicuous gap in a calendar that has otherwise expanded sharply over the past three decades. For Rwanda, the African Grand Prix represents both a sports event and a strategic statement, positioned at the intersection of infrastructure development, tourism policy and international visibility.

For the sport’s competitors and fans, the Bugesera circuit promises a new driving challenge, a new atmosphere and, for millions across Africa, the chance to see the world championship contested on home soil for the first time since 1993.

NOTE: Any current render of the Bugesera circuit is an early version and is not representative of the final track design or layout.