FIA President Ben Mohammed Ben Sulayem previously openly advocated for an F1 race in Rwanda, but has since become somewhat less outspoken. However, he still hopes for a return of Formula 1 to the African continent. “We will pay close attention to the stability in the country,” he emphasizes.
The shared ambition of the FIA and Formula One Management is to organize an F1 race on the African continent in the future. You previously expressed a preference for Rwanda…
“No! Not for Rwanda, but for Africa. You know, I still believe we need more teams and more races. It’s just that the drivers have come to me before and said: ‘Please, not more races’. For them, 24 races are too burdensome. But Africa as a continent has always been a bit forgotten. I am proud that we organized the General Assembly in Rwanda for the first time in the history of the FIA last year.”
But Rwanda is a country with human rights violations and other problems…
“Yes, you can go in that direction. And if you’re talking about the Middle East where we have four F1 races, it’s often about human rights and sports washing as well. Fine, but we were at the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix earlier this month. So it just doesn’t make sense. I am a proponent of Africa. When we look at a location in Africa, we follow our normal procedure and will pay close attention to the financial side of the story and the financial stability. In addition, they will certainly also ensure that there is stability in other areas in the relevant country.”
