Formula 1 is going back to Africa. On October 13, 2026, F1 announced a 10-year agreement for the Formula 1 African Grand Prix in Rwanda. The circuit does not exist yet. When it runs, it will be the championship’s first race on the continent since 1993.

The race joins the calendar in the early 2030s. So far, F1 has not set a year for the first event. That race will follow the completion of the new track.

The deal also closes a long gap for the sport. The last time the world championship raced in Africa, Alain Prost won the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami in a Williams.

What the African Grand Prix deal includes

According to the official Formula 1 announcement, the full name is the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda. Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced the deal at a ceremony in Kigali, Al Jazeera reported. F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem also attended.

Domenicali called it “a landmark moment for Formula 1.” He also said that with Rwanda on the calendar, “our sport will race in every inhabited continent.” Kagame put it more simply. “Today belongs to Africa,” he said, according to F1.

Ben Sulayem called the return “a historic moment for our sport.” F1 says further details on the first race, circuit milestones and race weekend plans will come later.

A new circuit in Bugesera

The track will sit in Bugesera, about 40 km south of Kigali, next to the new Kigali International Airport. F1 says builders will work to FIA Grade 1 standards and use the site’s elevation changes. The Rwanda Development Board leads the wider project, which also covers sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development.

Al Jazeera reported more details on the layout. It describes a 6 km track with 17 corners, run anti-clockwise, with 197 m of elevation gain per lap. The outlet also says the firm of former Austrian driver Alex Wurz designed it. However, F1’s own announcement does not name a designer or list those figures.

Beyond race weekends, F1 says the venue will host motorsport, events, conferences and entertainment all year. Even so, the project has a long way to go. RACER notes that the airport next door is also still under construction.

How Rwanda landed the race

Rwanda has spent several years building ties with the sport. RACER reports that the country hosted the FIA Prize Giving gala at the end of the 2024 season. Later, it beat other interested parties for the race, including several in South Africa. Al Jazeera adds that Rwanda announced its bid in December 2024 at an FIA General Assembly in Kigali.

F1 also lists other major events the country has hosted, from the UCI Road World Championships to the 2023 FIFA Congress. In addition, the series points to its audience. It says more than 100 million fans across Africa follow F1. Almost 60% of fans in key Sub-Saharan markets are under 35.

Drivers have pushed for this, too. At the Singapore Grand Prix the week before, Lewis Hamilton said, “We need to have a Grand Prix in Africa,” according to Al Jazeera.

F1’s African history, from East London to Kyalami

For decades, South Africa carried the championship’s African story. The world championship first raced there in 1962 at East London, where Graham Hill won, according to Formula One History’s list of winners. Jim Clark then won at East London in 1963 and 1965. Goodwood notes that the 1962 and 1963 seasons both ended at that circuit in late December.

Kyalami took over in 1967, when Pedro Rodriguez won. The race ran there in most years through 1985 and then came back for 1992 and 1993, according to the same list. Along the way, Niki Lauda won at Kyalami three times, in 1976, 1977 and 1984. By the 1990s, though, Goodwood says the circuit had changed a great deal from its original layout.

The last African race, in 1993

The most recent round on the continent was the Panasonic South African Grand Prix on March 14, 1993. Official F1 results for the 1993 race show that Prost won in a Williams Renault after 72 laps, in 1:38:45.082. Ayrton Senna finished second for McLaren, 79.824 seconds behind. Mark Blundell took third for Ligier, a lap down.

For Prost, it was a return to the top step. Motor Sport magazine says he led from lap 24, and it was his first Grand Prix win since Spain in 1990. It was also the 45th win of his career, Motor Sport records, and no F1 race has run in Africa since.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.