After 40 years away, Formula One is finally coming back to Africa, and it’s Rwanda that’s sealed the deal.

In a landmark announcement today, Formula One has confirmed Africa’s first Grand Prix since 1993 will be held in Rwanda, reports cbinews.tv.

The sport has signed a decade-long deal with the East African nation, with the first race expected in the “early 2030s” once a brand-new, purpose-built circuit in Bugesera is complete.

It’s huge. As F1 President Stefano Domenicali put it: “Today is a landmark moment for Formula One. With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent.”

If you’ve been watching Rwanda’s playbook, this isn’t a surprise. President Paul Kagame has been pitching for an F1 race for years.

The country has already poured millions into sport to boost its global image and pull in investment, think Arsenal’s ‘Visit Rwanda’ shirts, hosting the Basketball Africa League, and the UCI Road World Championships this year. Kagame formally launched the F1 bid when Rwanda hosted the FIA General Assembly in Kigali in December 2024.

Africa and F1 go way back, but not recently.

The last African Grand Prix was the 33rd South African Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1993, won by Alain Prost 33 years ago. South Africa hosted 33 F1 races between 1962 and 1993, but the continent has been off the calendar ever since as the sport chased big-money circuits in the Middle East and Asia.

Rwanda’s deal changes that, for 10 full seasons.

This is more than engines. For millions of African fans who have only ever watched at 2am on TV, F1 is finally coming to their doorstep.

It means jobs in Bugesera, about 25km from Kigali, where the new FIA Grade 1 circuit is planned, tourism, and a massive signal that Africa is not just a market for F1, but a host.

And for F1 itself? Domenicali said it clearly: “Africa has always been part of Formula One’s future, and from the beginning, we were determined to return in the right way, with the right partner.”

1. The Circuit: No track yet. The Bugesera circuit is still to be built. It will need full FIA homologation.

2. The Timeline: No exact year given, F1 says “early 2030s” to give time for construction.

3. The Deal: 10 years, so we’re looking at Rwanda on the calendar until at least the early 2040s.

F1 says the focus is on “creating meaningful impact”, but questions will remain about costs, local displacement, and Rwanda’s human rights record, which critics have long flagged around its sports investment strategy.

For now though, the chequered flag is finally pointing back to Africa.

Source: Formula One statement via cbinews.tv

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