South Africa has ramped up its bid to bring Formula 1 back to its shores with the government opening up an expression of interest process for potential hosts.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC)’s Formula 1 Bid Steering Committee published a document on Friday to get the ball rolling for potential promoters and venues to make their case to host the South African Grand Prix.
The document indicates a hope to bring F1 to South Africa by either 2026 or ’27 for a 10-year period.
F1 last raced in South Africa at the Kyalami circuit in 1993, with the world championship first visiting the nation for the 1962 season finale.
“Through the BSC, a suitable Promoter and/or venue (circuit facility) and host city will be chosen to submit a bid to the FIA and Formula 1 for consideration with the necessary approvals and support from the DSAC,” read the request for expression of interest.
Interested parties will have until January 31 to submit their bids and a shortlist of candidates will be selected five days subsequently.
A series of criteria were laid out in the 37-page request for expression of interest document that the F1 Bid Steering Committee requires.
These include: “An iconic destination location” that is “within 30 minutes of a major city or a recognised ‘desirable destination location’ via multiple transport options.”
In addition, the “Surrounding environment must contribute to the look and feel of a premier international event and/or provide an iconic backdrop.
“It must be in close proximity to a major city that has accommodation and supporting tourism facilities, capable of meeting the demands of a Grand Prix event crowd and working staff.”
Moreover, the chosen venue must be easily accessible by major and public transportation, have a capacity to welcome 125,000 daily spectators and 5,000 staff.
In addition, the “Track must be conducive to driving an exciting racing spectacle, allowing for wheel-to-wheel racing and provide multiple overtaking opportunities.”
South Africa doesn’t want to rival Rwanda bid
South Africa’s movement to ramp up its F1 bid comes a month after Rwanda made its bid known to host a Grand Prix.
With several other continents hosting multiple GPs, the two bids shouldn’t be seen as competitors, but a joint effort to boost F1’s presence in Africa.
That is the sentiment of South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, who said (via The Citizen) “I hate this narrative of choosing between Rwanda or South Africa. I despise it because in Europe, you have seven races – no one questions if it’s Monaco or Italy; they have all seven.
“We are advocating for co-operation to ensure Africa has more than one F1 race. Truth be told, we can make the most compelling case for F1, but we should not compete with Rwanda.
“We should engage in dialogue to determine how we can support each other.
“We are larger in finances, we have a bigger motorsport community, and we have a track. We want to assist them, not compete.”
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