Rwanda Grand Prix: F1 Confirms Return to Africa for the First Time Since 1993

Formula 1 has signed a 10-year deal to race in Rwanda from the early 2030s. It will be the sport's first African Grand Prix in more than three decades.

Alain Prost won the last Formula 1 race held in Africa, at Kyalami in 1993. That drought finally has an end date. On Tuesday, F1 confirmed a 10-year deal for Rwanda to host a Grand Prix from the early 2030s, putting a race back on every inhabited continent.

• Host Country: Rwanda (official name: Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda)
• Venue: New purpose-built circuit at Bugesera, south of Kigali
• Contract: 10 years
• First Race: Early 2030s (date not yet set)
• Last African Grand Prix: 1993 South African Grand Prix, Kyalami

How Rwanda Won the Race to Host F1

The deal was announced at a ceremony in Kigali, with Rwandan President Paul Kagame joined by F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Rwanda has been building towards this for a while. Kagame first declared the bid in December 2024, when Kigali hosted the FIA General Assembly and the end-of-season FIA prize-giving gala.

That groundwork paid off, with Rwanda beating several other interested parties, including bids from South Africa, the country that last staged a Grand Prix on the continent.

Domenicali described Africa as the missing piece in F1's global footprint, pointing to a fan base on the continent of more than 100 million and the tourism and investment a race can bring.

What the Rwanda Circuit Will Look Like

There is no track yet. The circuit will be built from scratch at Bugesera, next to the new international airport about 40 kilometres south of Kigali. The final layout is still being designed, but this is what has been confirmed so far:

• Standard: FIA Grade 1, the top level required to host Formula 1
• Design: WurzDesign, the firm of former F1 driver Alex Wurz, working with Tilke Engineers and Architects
• Terrain: built around the area's natural elevation changes
• Use: a year-round venue for motorsport, major events and conferences
• Project lead: the Rwanda Development Board, as part of a wider tourism and infrastructure development

Rwanda is known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, and the circuit is designed to use that terrain rather than flatten it. That promises something very different from the flat street circuits that have crept into the schedule in recent years.

Hamilton Gets His Wish

Lewis Hamilton has been the loudest voice for an African race, and speaking ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, he called Africa the most important continent and said there was no reason for F1 not to race there, adding that he had been pushing for a race behind the scenes.

He may not still be on the grid when the cars arrive in the early 2030s, but this one carries his fingerprints.

There is plenty still to settle, from the construction timeline to where the race slots into an already packed calendar. But after more than three decades away, F1 finally has a confirmed home in Africa.

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