F1 makes its return to Africa with Rwandan GP

Formula 1 is set to return to Africa for the first time since 1993, after Rwanda agreed to a 10-year contract to host the African Grand Prix from the early 2030s. 

The race will be staged at a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, about 40 kilometers south of Kigali, once construction is complete and the FIA grants Grade 1 certification.

The announcement ends a long wait for African representation on the calendar.

The continent’s most recent Formula 1 race was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, near Johannesburg, and repeated efforts to revive an African round had failed to secure a workable long-term project.

 Rwanda’s agreement gives the championship a committed home on the continent for a decade.

The venue will be built in Bugesera, close to the new Kigali International Airport. Formula 1 says the circuit is being designed by Carsten Tilke of Tilke Engineering and former driver Alex Wurz of Wurz Designs. 

Early plans describe an anti-clockwise layout of approximately six kilometers, with 17 corners and a route shaped by the surrounding hills and lake.

The move completes a major geographic ambition for the franchise. With Rwanda joining the calendar, the sport will race on every inhabited continent, extending its reach into an African market that has remained largely untapped since Kyalami’s final Grand Prix. 

F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali described the agreement as “a landmark moment for Formula 1.”

The deal also serves as a reward for the level of intention put into place by Rwanda. The country has invested heavily in international sport and major events in recent years, and the African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda, fits that strategy. 

A 10-year contract gives organizers time to develop the circuit, build local motorsport infrastructure, and establish the event as more than a one-off spectacle.

There is still work to do before cars line up in Rwanda. No exact inaugural date has been confirmed, and the race will join the calendar only after the Bugesera track has been completed. 

Formula 1 has said it will release further details on construction milestones, the race weekend and the calendar slot in due course.