LAfrica should attract more of our attention.“These are the words of the President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Mohammed Ben Sulayem, last January. Since the latter took the reins of the organization, the possibility of Africa once again hosting a Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix stage has been regularly heard.
In December 2023, Lewis Hamilton, a living legend of the sport, expressed his wish to compete once in Africa before hanging up his helmet.You can’t add races elsewhere and still ignore Africa. I think having a Grand Prix there would highlight what a beautiful place it is and help develop tourism and many other things.,” he said.
While attention for a return of F1 Grand Prix to the continent is turning more towards South Africa, more recently, an article byAtalayar relayed information that “FIA considers Morocco as a possible host in the near future”.
Yes, but…
The first problem with this ad is that the article it links to Atalayar as the source of its information does not in any way mention any interest of the FIA for Morocco in particular. Nevertheless, F1’s enthusiasm for Africa is real. Liberty Media, holder of the rights to the F1 championship, has for several years adopted a strategy of democratizing its sport.
In a study by the Institute of International and Strategic Relations, we can read that Liberty Media is trying to get rid of the “elitist” image of its flagship sport: “Liberty Media seems to be taking into account the inaccessible nature of its sport, so much so that the American firm is trying to illustrate F1 in a broader and more impactful media space..”
To attract more spectators, Liberty Media does not hesitate to export its sport to countries that historically do not welcome motor sports, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain or the Emirates. It is also a matter of storytelling.In my opinion, having Grand Prix in Africa is essential to justify the name ‘World Championship’. F1 races everywhere… except in Africa. Some countries even have several Grand Prix per season.”, notes Hamza Rahmani, sports journalist and columnist on the show Les Pistonnés.
The other remark of the journalist questioned by As-isis that in the field of F1, “The integration of the political sphere has become almost indispensable for organizing Grand Prix“. As proof of this, he cites the fact that in France, the lack of interest of the public authorities in this sport led to the end of the Grand Prix in France.The day President Macron tells me he wants to discuss the return of France, I come“, declared Stefano Domenicali, the boss of F1, in an interview with The Team.
The good news is that Morocco is capable of producing such efforts from the highest levels. In the field of football, tangible results have been achieved.Achieving with F1 what Fouzi Lekjaa has achieved for football would be a welcome help in considering the option of organising an F1 GP in Morocco.”, analyzes Hamza Rahmani.
And choosing Morocco as the destination to re-enter the queen of motorsport categories is not without meaning. Only two African circuits have already hosted a Grand Prix: that of Aïn Diab, in Casablanca, in 1958, and that of Kyalami in Johannesburg, from 1961 to 1993. The latter was more considered to become the African stage of the championship.In South Africa, there is a long history of motorsport. Since last year, we have talked a lot about the idea of F1 returning to Kyalami.”, affirmed Mohammed Ben Sulayem during a press conference in January 2024.
However, it appears that Kyalami has been removed from the list. According to information from Motors Insidethe FIA appeared to be on the verge of reaching an agreement with the South African circuit in 2023 when “a conflict of interest” ended the negotiations. “South Africa’s return to the calendar is now uncertain”, writes the pure player.
A boulevard for Morocco?
Can we read in this setback in Johannesburg a sign that the checkered flag could wave on a circuit in Tangier in the near future? First, for Hamza Rahmani, “A single Grand Prix in Africa will obviously not be enough“to provoke an African attraction comparable to that of other continents. Between South Africa, Morocco, Rwanda or Egypt,”It doesn’t matter which country enters F1 first.“, there would need to be several Grands Prix on the continent if Liberty Media wants to make Africa a profitable market.
On the other hand, not just anyone can host a Grand Prix. There are certain strict conditions, first and foremost the quality of the circuit. To see the drivers of the F1 championship parade, a race must be homologated “Grade 1” by the FIA. To date, Tangier does not have any circuit homologated at this grade — nor at grades 2, 3 or 4.
To accommodate, it would therefore be necessary to build. According to our colleagues from Ecothere is indeed a project for a racing circuit in Tangier.At a time when the automobile industry has become the leading export sector in Morocco, the Tangier Circuit is further promoting automotive activities by strengthening its impact and visibility on a national and international level.“, says Yann Moreau, the promoter of the Tangier Circuit. Nevertheless, he specifies that on this circuit will be presented new models of vehicles, and will take place competitions between brands and car manufacturers and track baptisms. The F1 World Championship is still far away.
The prospect of a Grand Prix host circuit in Tangier does not seem serious at the moment, but the trend, the demand and the strategy of F1 all seem to point in the same direction: Africa must host Grands Prix, and Morocco is a contender.
