Rwanda has secured a 10-year deal to host Formula One races, paving the way for the championship’s return to Africa in the early 2030s.
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The inaugural Rwandan Grand Prix is planned for a purpose-built circuit near Kigali, close to Bugesera International Airport, about 40 kilometres south of the capital. The planned return would be Formula One’s first race on the African continent since 1993.
New circuit planned near Kigali
The announcement was made by President Paul Kagame at a ceremony in Kigali attended by Stefano Domenicali, Formula One’s president and chief executive, and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA.
Alex Wurz’s racetrack design firm has been assigned responsibility for designing the new circuit. Plans call for a track stretching six kilometres, with 17 corners and an elevation gain of 197 metres per lap.
The circuit is expected to be developed to FIA Grade 1 standards, the level required for Formula One competition. It is also planned to accommodate other motorsport competitions and major events.
The exact date of the first race has not been announced. The project is described as targeting the early 2030s, while details of the agreement’s financial terms and construction timetable have not been provided.
Officials welcome Formula One return
Kagame said Rwanda had worked hard to secure the event and described the arrangement as a partnership and “a milestone for the continent.” He also said Rwanda was “happy and excited to be part of a journey that will change how Africa is conceived by the world of sports.”
Ben Sulayem called Formula One’s return to Africa “a moment of immense pride” and “a new chapter in the history of Formula One.” Domenicali described Africa as “the missing piece” in the championship’s global footprint.
Rwanda’s bid was first announced by Kagame during an address to the FIA General Assembly in Kigali in December 2024. The new agreement now places the country among the locations being prepared to host Formula One competition.
Drivers have backed an African race
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has advocated for a Formula One race in Africa for years. Speaking at the Singapore Grand Prix the previous week, Hamilton said, “We need to have a Grand Prix in Africa.”
Hamilton also described Africa as “the most important continent” and “the most beautiful continent,” adding that he had been supporting efforts to establish a race there and praising Domenicali’s work.
Red Bull driver and reigning world champion Max Verstappen also expressed support for the proposal, while noting that it was necessary to wait and see whether it would proceed. Verstappen said he had previously visited Rwanda and that drivers were excited by the possibility of racing there.
If completed, the Rwandan project would mark Formula One’s return to Africa after more than three decades away and add a new circuit to the championship’s calendar in the early 2030s.
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