F1 will return to Africa for the first time since 1993 – with Rwanda announced as location on a 10-year deal to begin in the 2030s

Rwanda will host Africa’s first F1 race since 1993 after it was announced that the country has signed a 10-year deal with the sport to be on the calendar sometime in the next decade.

The event will take place at a new purpose-built track in Bugesera, 25 miles south of Rwanda’s capital Kigali.

The last time an F1 race was held in Africa was the 33rd South African Grand Prix near Johannesburg in 1993, one year before apartheid formally ended there with democratic, multi-racial elections.

Now the sport will return to the continent sometime in ‘the early 2030s’, with it believed that the grid’s drivers will be consulted on the final design of the track.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: ‘Today is a landmark moment for Formula One. 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 One’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.

‘For our fans, this is an especially exciting moment. Africa is home to more than 100 million Formula One fans, and that number continues to grow rapidly.

‘We are bringing the excitement, energy and drama of Formula One closer to millions of people who have waited a long time to see our sport return to the continent, and we look forward to writing an exciting new chapter together.’

Rwanda’s controversy

A landlocked country still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organisational efficiency.

It has spent vast sums on football sponsorship deals with clubs including Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, partnered with the NBA to be the main hub of its African basketball league, and hosted last year’s cycling world championships.

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