A second African applicant? South Africa's F1 options are limited, but compelling

An idiom about London buses may well apply to the current wait for a grand prix in Africa: you wait for years for one nation to apply, and two unveil their statements of intent within a few months of each other. Rwanda launched an official bid to join the Formula 1 calendar last year with a circuit on the outskirts of Kigali, while South Africa has also thrown its hat (back) in the ring by opening its own bid process for someone to organise its return to hosting races.

For those who subscribe to the view that a world championship should feature all six permanently inhabited continents across the globe, this is welcome news. F1 hasn't had a full-house of continents on the calendar since 1993, obviously excluding Antarctica as a fully homologated set of Pirelli snow tyres does not currently exist.

When Kyalami dropped off the calendar after the 1993 season, Africa left with it. The South African Automobile Federation took over the running of the circuit after the previous promoter went bankrupt, but determined that it was becoming too expensive to run a grand prix; the dropping value of the rand cited as one such factor. Back then, the exchange rate sat at around 3.19 ZAR to 1 USD - currently, valuations sit at around 18.50 ZAR per dollar...

That's not to say that Kyalami remained untouched by F1's presence in the years since; in the days of unlimited testing, a handful of teams would congregate at the circuit equidistant to Johannesburg and Pretoria for warmer weather in the winter months. Yet, despite the occasional link to a reprisal, it never looked like getting back on the calendar; brief discussions over a race for 2023 came to nothing, as the race lacked an organiser and the funding to get back on the schedule.

Its facilities have been vastly upgraded in the ever-lengthy interregnum, following a few changes of ownership and cycles of investment. Yet, it requires more to get it up to F1's requirements; it currently holds FIA Grade 2 certification, but needs a Grade 1 licence to host the championship in the future. This involves bringing the circuit up to F1 safety standards, and in recent months Apex Circuit Design has been contracted to bring the track up to scratch.

If South Africa is to host a race in the near future, with a grand prix targeted for 2026 or 2027, then Kyalami is surely the smart bet. The tender process opened by the South African government states that the organiser must offer a venue at an "iconic destination location"; the proximity to Johannesburg should satisfy this requirement, although the further recommendation of convenient public transport links to meet F1's sustainability guidelines would likely require further assessment.

Kyalami currently has FIA Grade 2 status but would need upgrading for F1

Photo by: Audi Communications Motorsport

Regardless, Kyalami's return would be a welcome addition to the calendar. When it returned to F1 in 1992 with a design barely recognisable from its original layout, it was admonished for its perceived loss of tempo as the flat-out stretch from Leeukop to Crowthorne was now paved over and replaced by a business park.

The new circuit nonetheless retained the more technical aspects, as the 'south' section's Sunset, Clubhouse, and Esses bends formed the new 'north' side of the course. It's a challenging layout, one that rewards bravery in the higher-speed corners and a deftness of touch on the accelerator through the 'new' left-hand version of Leeukop.

For the benefit of those who perhaps haven't kept abreast of the subsequent changes to the layout, a significant revision of the first corner also took place a decade ago. Instead of the first-corner curve that led into the double-left of Turns 2 and 3, the start-finish straight was lengthened and now culminates in a tight left-hander that proceeds the brief uphill climb to the former 90-degree-left Turn 3. Overtaking opportunities might seem sparse on first glance, but there's at least three heavy-braking zones that could offer a sniff of a pass...

Although considered a hit by much of FE's fanbase and of financial reward to the city, the championship itself is understood to have taken a sizeable loss from the event

There is, however, another immediate option: Cape Town. South Africa's second-biggest city and legislative capital (Pretoria being the executive and defacto capital city) broke the country's 30-year world championship-hosting hiatus in 2023 with the Cape Town E-Prix, and delivered a thrilling race around the well-to-do Green Point district of the city.

Situated around the DHL Stadium, the circuit meandered along the beachfront before cutting down towards the stadium and along a rebuilt Fritz Sonnenberg Road - the promoters of the Formula E race worked with the city council to define the civil works around the venue and widened many of the roads to ensure it was suitable for wheel-to-wheel racing.

Although considered a hit by much of FE's fanbase and of financial reward to the city, the championship itself is understood to have taken a sizeable loss from the event and has been reticent to return. Thus, Cape Town hasn't appeared on the calendar since.

Its clash with the Kyalami 9 Hours, with both races occupying the same 25 February date, might not have helped. Amusing note: this was a particular grievance for the van der Linde family; GT racer Sheldon was driving in Kyalami that weekend, while Kelvin had continued to deputise for the injured Robin Frijns in Cape Town. Their parents thus split their attention: Mr. van der Linde went to Cape Town, while Mrs. VDL headed for Johannesburg.

Cape Town track was a hit with Formula E drivers and fans, although the all-electric series has not returned

Photo by: Andreas Beil

It was clear who got the better deal: Sheldon, Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts won the Kyalami enduro, while Kelvin didn't even make the start as Abt's powertrain supplier Mahindra withdrew all four cars, citing suspension issues.

Cape Town has been making noises in South African media outlets about its ambition to host a race, most likely treading many of the same roads that Formula E fizzed down two years ago. To satisfy the size requirements, the stretch along the waterfront would at least need to be extended towards the Green Point lighthouse, and loop back on itself towards the DHL Stadium.

Unlike Kyalami, the circuit would be well served by public transport (although per this writer's recollections, Ubers are safe and plentiful) and hosted in a beautiful area of the city overlooked by Table Mountain.

The issue here is track width. It looked plenty wide enough for Formula E cars but, currently, the electric chariots are a full 30cm narrower than their F1 brethren. The difference will drop to 20cm for 2026, but that's still an extra 40cm in a wheel-to-wheel state to accommodate. Along Beach Road, that's scarcely a problem, but the 'infield' road around the stadium that required the civil works might still be too narrow to accommodate anything than single file.

There are few other "obvious" options in South Africa, unless a cookie-cutter city circuit becomes part of the bid. You could make the case that Cape Town's 'existing' street course holds that unenviable status, but the sheer beauty of the vistas around the place - particularly along the waterfront - bestows a certain je ne sais quoi to the place.

South Africa has hosted street races elsewhere; the multinational A1GP series raced in Durban between 2006 and 2008, and local events at Pietermaritzburg's Alexandra Park in, erm, the 1940s-1950s. But there's nothing big enough or with enough backing to rival its flagship circuit in Kyalami.

F1's former home, East London's Prince George Circuit, was deemed too small in the 1960s, Cape Town's Killarney venue is also tiny, as is the Aldo Scribante circuit on the south coast. Welkom's Phakisa Freeway circuit is comparable in size to Kyalami, but a) sits in the middle of nowhere, and b) has only been used for club events after losing MotoGP at the end of 2004.

It looks as though Rwanda is set for an F1 future, as its growing economy has courted F1's interest.

A1GP visited the streets of Durban, but Kyalami appears the most likely destination for South Africa

Photo by: A1GP

Suggestions are that the government will fund a circuit next to the in-construction Bugesera Airport, which is currently over an hour away from the centre of Kigali by car. For now, given that the airport build is not expected to be completed until 2026, there's some leeway - but it will need considerable infrastructural improvements to ensure F1 is accessible.

But the idea of two African races, if South Africa can muster the interest to join Rwanda on the calendar, would be welcome. As gorgeous as Cape Town is, F1 does not need another street circuit. Sure, we've taken the scenic route before getting to the obvious conclusion that it should really be at Kyalami, although the fluctuating financial fortunes of the venue over the past 30 years hardly imbues it with any real certainty.

As long as it's a purpose-built venue, good for racing, and keeps African interests on the calendar for the long term, then any option is good - but finding something that meets those criteria has been an impossible task for decades. But hey, we probably thought we'd never see the likes of Zandvoort or Imola again either...

Formula 1 cars have tested at Kyalami since the world championship's last race there in 1993 - but could that long hiatus soon end?

Photo by: Sutton Images