Rwanda has signed a 10-year deal to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix at a new circuit near Kigali.
Formula One is returning to Africa. Rwanda has signed a 10-year deal to host a grand prix from the early 2030s, ending more than three decades without an F1 race on the continent.
The deal was announced at a press conference in Rwanda on Tuesday, attended by F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The race will be called the Formula 1 African Grand Prix.
The last time F1 raced in Africa was at the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, won by Alain Prost.
“Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1,” Domenicali said. “Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future.”
The race will be held at a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, in Rwanda’s Eastern Province, about 40 kilometers south of the capital, Kigali. The track will sit next to the new Kigali International Airport, which is under construction.
The circuit is being built to FIA Grade 1 standards, the level required to host Formula One. It is being designed by WurzDesign, the firm led by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz, together with Tilke Engineers and Architects, whose earlier work includes Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.
The layout will use the natural elevation changes of the land and is expected to be fast and flowing, with spectators close to the action. The venue will have a capacity of 100,000, ABC News reported.
The circuit is part of a wider sports, tourism and infrastructure project led by the Rwanda Development Board. Outside race weekends, it will host other motorsport events, concerts, exhibitions and conferences.
“We want to make it bigger than just Rwanda,” said Jean-Guy Afrika, chief executive of the Rwanda Development Board.
An exact race date has not been set. F1 said details on the calendar slot, construction milestones and race weekend plans will be shared later.
Why Rwanda Won the African Grand Prix
Rwanda first confirmed its bid in December 2024, when Kagame announced it during the FIA’s annual awards ceremony in Kigali. That event, held in the city for the first time, crowned Max Verstappen as a four-time world champion and saw McLaren collect its first constructors’ title in more than two decades.
The country has built a track record of hosting major international events in recent years, including the 2023 FIFA Congress, the UCI Road World Championships and the Basketball Africa League.
The deal also opens up a large audience for the sport. More than 100 million people across Africa follow Formula One, and nearly 60% of fans in key sub-Saharan markets are under the age of 35, according to F1.
Drivers have long called for a return to Africa. Lewis Hamilton, who has Grenadian heritage and has spoken often about the continent, said, “I’ve always said that we need to have a Grand Prix in Africa.” Verstappen said he had visited Rwanda once and hoped the plan would go ahead, while George Russell pointed out that Africa was the only inhabited continent where F1 did not race.
Africa has hosted 23 world championship grands prix in the past, in South Africa and Morocco. Rwanda’s race will be the first held in East Africa.
