Rwanda is taking a significant step towards its dream of hosting a Formula 1 race, with discussions between the African nation and F1 set to take place next month.
As part of the sport’s global expansion, Africa has become a key strategic target for F1 and Rwanda appears to be at the forefront with its well-developed plans.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed that Rwanda’s proposal is being taken seriously, with a meeting scheduled for late September to discuss the project in detail.
“They are serious,” said Domenicali. “They have presented a good plan and actually we have a meeting with them at the end of September. It will be on a permanent track.”
Rwanda's interest in motor racing has been growing, evidenced by the Rwanda Development Board's visit to the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year to engage with the FIA.
Additionally, Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, is set to host the FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Ceremony this December.
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With a successful US expansion featuring three races in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas now complete, F1 is now considering other global opportunities.
And Africa, where the last F1 race took place in 1993 at Kyalami, is a region under serious consideration.
“We want to go to Africa, but we need to have the right investment, and the right strategic plan,” said Domenicali, who emphasized the importance of careful evaluation.
“We need to have the right moment, and we need to make sure that also in that country, in that region, in that continent, there is the right welcoming, because, of course, they have other priorities.
“We need to be always very careful in making the right choices.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Rwanda president Paul Kagame met at the Singapore GP last year.
Domenicali suggested that F1's global growth and current popularity allow for a more selective approach in building the optimal calendar.
“Up until 2020 we were in a situation where the number of places that wanted to host F1 were not so numerous,” he explained.
“Therefore we were not able to apply what I would say was a constructive pressure to grow what we can offer to our customers and to our fans.
“Now, we are on the other side. We have so many places around the world that want to host F1 that it allows us to make sure that we are working together with all of them to grow the experience.
“With 24 races, I see that there's a number that will be stable, and we can really tune the ones that we are discussing to see what will be the future in the middle term.
“I don't see big changes coming in the short term, but in the next couple of months we need to discuss what will be '26, '27 and '28. We have different options but we are in a good place.”
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