The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, officially announced last Friday that his country was applying to enter the Formula 1 Grand Prix calendar from 2026. Kigali has been developing a circuit project for more than a year. If it joined the program, the Rwandan capital would mark the return of this major competition to the continent, thirty years after South Africa.
The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, announced on Friday December 13 that his country would apply to organize a Formula 1 race from 2026. This was during a handover ceremony of the FIA awards, which brought together in Kigali the greatest F1 champions, including Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. This is the first time in 120 editions that this event was held in Africa.
Paul Kagame confident in his country’s ability to meet the challenge
Is this a sign that Rwanda has a good chance of joining the F1 calendar? Paul Kagame is in any case confident in his country’s ability to meet the challenge. The Rwandan head of state thanked Stefano Domenicali and his entire team for the great progress in the discussions so far. “Together we will build something we can be proud of.” “, he said.
Rwanda presented a good project on a permanent circuit
Last August, the president of Formula 1 said that Rwanda was a serious option. “They presented a good project on a permanent circuit,” he confirmed in an interview. In addition to Stefano Domenicali, the president of the FIA also had encouraging words about the land of a thousand hills. According to Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the fact that Rwanda is hosting the awards ceremony “is a testament to the strength of this nation, particularly its growing influence in motorsport.”
Lewis Hamilton promotes prize in Africa
For his part, Lewis Hamilton, a great defender of the black cause, thinks that “we cannot add races and continue to ignore Africa”. The six-time world champion said he was working behind the scenes to bring Formula 1 back to the continent. He thinks three countries could currently host the event: Rwanda, Morocco and South Africa. These last two countries are the only ones to have organized an F1 race to date. The first in 1958 and the second from 1962 to 1993. Since then, the paddock has avoided African soil.
A circuit project in Rwanda in progress for more than a year
The return of F1 to Africa, via Kigali, would therefore be a small event. For the moment, nothing is known about the circuit which could host a Formula 1 Grand Prix. According to Motorsport.com, the government has been working on a circuit project for more than a year with Alexander Wurz’s company. This route would exploit Rwanda’s hilly terrain to provide a spectacular and fast race, passing through forests and bordering a lake.
Paul Kagame accused of “sportswashing”
For Paul Kagame, this is a new step in his broader strategy to use sport to develop tourism and the country’s visibility globally. He already uses Paris Saint Germain (through the Visit Rwanda logo) to promote his country. But, as with Qatar and Azerbaijan, in particular, voices are being raised to denounce “sportswashing”. That is to say the use of sport to polish his image as a dictator.
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