{"id":2000129050,"date":"2026-10-13T19:04:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T17:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000129050"},"modified":"2026-10-13T19:04:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T17:04:45","slug":"rwanda-was-the-right-choice-for-formula-1s-african-return-says-f1-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-was-the-right-choice-for-formula-1s-african-return-says-f1-boss\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda was the right choice for Formula 1\u2019s African return, says F1 boss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Speaking in Kigali on Tuesday, October 13, during the announcement of a 10-year agreement to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, Domenicali said the championship had spent years seeking the right opportunity to return to a continent it had been absent from since 1993.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor many years, we have spoken about our desire to return, but always said we would return in the right way, with the right vision and the right partners. That partner is Rwanda,\u201d the Formula 1 boss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domenicali pointed to Rwanda\u2019s development, natural beauty, resilience and growing international profile as factors that made the country stand out as Formula 1 considered its return to Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you visit this country, the decision becomes clear. Rwanda is one of the world\u2019s great success stories,\u201d he said, describing it as a nation that had overcome challenges in its past and was looking confidently towards the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also highlighted Rwanda\u2019s ambition to attract international investment, promote innovation and create new opportunities, saying these priorities aligned with Formula 1\u2019s own vision for the sport\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agreement will see Rwanda host the championship at a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera District, south of Kigali, with the first race expected in the early 2030s, once construction is completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The return will mark Formula 1\u2019s first race on the African continent since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, for Domenicali, the significance of the partnership goes beyond adding another destination to the racing calendar. He said Formula 1 wanted its return to Africa to deliver lasting benefits through tourism, investment, education and skills development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not simply about hosting a Grand Prix. This is about creating legacy and inspiration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the project should support local businesses, empower communities and generate economic and social benefits that would extend beyond race weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The planned circuit and associated development are expected to create opportunities in areas such as tourism, employment, technical skills and business. Formula 1 has also said the project is intended to support local talent and help inspire a new generation to pursue careers connected to motorsport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domenicali particularly emphasised the potential impact on young people, noting that Africa is home to more than 100 million Formula 1 fans, a community he said continues to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said bringing Formula 1 closer to African fans would give younger people the opportunity to see themselves not only as spectators but also as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs, innovators and future drivers, describing this as \u201cthe true power of sports.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Paul Kagame also framed the agreement as an opportunity for Africa to gain more from the global sports industry. He noted that African athletes have contributed significantly to the global sports economy, while the continent has received comparatively little in return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame said the Grand Prix should help change that imbalance by creating opportunities for young Africans and encouraging more major sporting events to come to the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem also highlighted the importance of developing motorsport talent and making the sport more accessible to young people in Africa. He pointed to opportunities for training, education and grassroots racing, including the development of local skills and more affordable entry-level motorsport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Speaking in Kigali on Tuesday, October 13, during the announcement of a 10-year agreement to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, Domenicali said the championship had spent years seeking the right opportunity to return to a continent it had been absent from since 1993.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The agreement will see Rwanda host the championship at a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera District, south of Kigali, with the first race expected in the early 2030s, once construction is completed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Formula 1 President and Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali says Rwanda\u2019s ambition, long-term vision and commitment to creating opportunities for its people made the country the right partner to bring the sport back to Africa after more than three decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000129018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[3260],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000129050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-tumalo-noel-zakaria"],"bylines":[{"id":3260,"name":"Tumalo Noel Zakaria","slug":"tumalo-noel-zakaria","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":3260,"name":"Tumalo Noel Zakaria","slug":"tumalo-noel-zakaria","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":{"id":2000129018,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/kasi5964.jpg-c7fc0.jpg","alt":"Rwanda to host Formula 1 Grand Prix under 10-year deal","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":714,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/kasi5964.jpg-c7fc0.jpg","width":1000,"height":714},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/kasi5964.jpg-c7fc0.jpg","width":1000,"height":714},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/kasi5964.jpg-c7fc0.jpg","width":1000,"height":714},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/kasi5964.jpg-c7fc0.jpg","width":1000,"height":714},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/kasi5964.jpg-c7fc0.jpg","width":1000,"height":714}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000129050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000129050"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000129050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000129051,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000129050\/revisions\/2000129051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000129018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000129050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000129050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000129050"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000129050"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000129050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}