With the rising popularity of Formula 1, the demand for hosting Grands Prix remains high. In South Africa, work has been underway for some time to organize their own race weekend at the historic Kyalami circuit. Recently, the FIA approved the necessary modifications to the track. During the upcoming Austrian GP, South Africa plans to submit an official bid to the FOM.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Art, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, confirmed to news channel eNCA that South Africa and Kyalami are ready for Formula 1. “Next week we will meet again with the FOM in Austria,” he stated. “We want to submit an official bid then. The following week, on July 1, we will announce our winning promoter. After that, everything is in the hands of Formula 1.” McKenzie is convinced that all the ingredients are in place for a return of the South African GP: “We will have a circuit, we will have a promoter, and we have the largest motorsport community in Africa,” he concluded.
Ajustments
Before the South African GP can be held, a number of adjustments need to be made to Kyalami. The organization hired Apex Circuit Design for these tasks, known for its work on the Miami circuit among others. According to founder Clive Bowen, these are ‘relatively light upgrades’ to bring the track up to modern standards. The improvements mainly focus on safety aspects such as run-off areas, guardrails, debris fences, kerbstones, and drainage.
The Kyalami circuit, near Johannesburg, was the venue for the South African GP twenty times between 1967 and 1993. Alain Prost won the last edition. Since then, the premier class has not visited the African continent. However, both drivers and fans express the desire to return. Lewis Hamilton, in particular, hopes to race in Africa again, as he stated last year. “Formula 1 can no longer ignore Africa,” said the seven-time world champion.
