F1 Signs 10 Year Rwanda Deal for African Grand Prix

Formula 1 will return to Africa for the first time since 1993 under a ten year deal with Rwanda announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in Kigali. The African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda, will run on a new circuit at Bugesera, about 40 km south of the capital, next to an international airport now under construction. The first race year has not been set. It depends on when the track is finished, and F1 puts it in the early 2030s.

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali announced the deal beside Rwandan President Paul Kagame and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He said Africa is home to more than 100 million F1 fans, and that the sport will now race on every inhabited continent. Kagame first announced Rwanda's bid two years ago, in 2024.

A track that uses the hills

The Bugesera circuit is designed by Tilke Engineers and Architects with former F1 driver Alexander Wurz and his design firm, plus consultancy DAR, Autosport reported. The layout runs about 6 km with 17 corners, runs anti clockwise, and drops and climbs 197 meters in a lap, using the natural ground as a bowl for spectators. The Times estimated the build at upwards of 50 million dollars, before hosting fees that can reach a similar sum each year. None of those figures comes from F1, and no total cost has been published.

The last F1 race in Africa was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, north of Johannesburg. Morocco held a race outside Casablanca in 1958. Rwanda will be the third African country to host a championship round since the series began in 1950.

Praise, and a sharp reply

Kagame said the circuit and the new airport will bring jobs, skills, tourism and business for decades. Amnesty International gave a different reading. Felix Jakens, head of campaigns at Amnesty UK, called the deal a sportswashing prize for the Rwandan authorities, and cited arbitrary detention, torture and limits on free speech. The Rwandan government did not answer a Reuters request for comment on that charge. The debate will follow the project for years, because the first race is still at least four years away.

For the sport itself, the calendar question is simpler. F1 has chased an African race for a decade. It now has a signed partner, a site, and a design team. What it does not have is a date, a finished track, or a cost the public can check.