The government of South Africa has extended the deadline to receive bids from potential hosts for a future Formula 1 race in the country.
The country’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture [DSAC] recently published a document through its Formula 1 Bid Steering Committee in order to attract possible promoters and venues to make its case for a Grand Prix to be staged.
A previous bid to stage the race at its former venue at Kyalami fell through two years ago, but the circuit’s owners are still hopeful of a deal as it awaits necessary work to upgrade its FIA status to the F1-required Grade 1 from its current Grade 2.
Another venue touted has been a street circuit in Cape Town, which incorporates its waterfront and the DHL Stadium. The venue has already been used as a Formula E race in Season 9.
The original deadline set by DSAC was January 31, but it has extended that to two months’ time, saying: “The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Bid Steering Committee (BSC), has extended the submission deadline for the Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) for South Africa’s Formula 1 Grand Prix bid to 18 March 2025.
“This extension aims to give stakeholders additional time to submit comprehensive, well-structured proposals in line with RFEOI [Request for Expression of Interest] requirements. The Ministry is committed to a transparent and competitive process to secure this prestigious motorsport event.
“The Ministry urges stakeholders to use this opportunity to support South Africa’s Formula 1 ambitions.”
F1’s keenness to put Africa back on its map
South Africa first hosted a full World Championship Grand Prix in 1962 in East London, and moved to Kyalami in 1967.
It continued to host the event until 1985, after which the race was scrapped due to an increase in sporting boycotts of the country due to apartheid.
In 1992, with apartheid over, Kyalami, now with brand new layout, was reintroduced to the calendar, hosting the opening round of the season, and doing so again in 1993, before once again disappearing off the schedule due to the high costs of hosting the race.
In more recent years, there has been an increasing appetite for a return to racing in the African continent, with Lewis Hamilton stating last year: “We can’t be adding races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa which the rest of the world takes from, no one gives anything to Africa.”
Another potential African venue is Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, where a circuit is currently being designed by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz.
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