Formula 1 returns to Africa via Rwanda

The last Formula 1 Grand Prix held on the African continent was in 1993 at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa.

Formula 1 confirmed in a statement: "Formula 1 has long aspired to race in Africa, and this announcement embodies years of work to bring together all the necessary conditions, with the right partner, to organize a Grand Prix sustainably."

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said in a press conference yesterday, Tuesday: "This partnership has been long awaited. It is a success and an important milestone for the entire continent, especially for African fans. Our ambition is for this Grand Prix to pave the way for other races in Africa. What we are doing today proves that involving African markets in major global sporting competitions is possible and can create significant opportunities."

The announcement of a future Formula 1 Grand Prix in Rwanda had been expected since October 8, when sources close to the file in Kigali informed Agence France-Presse that an agreement had been reached between Formula 1 and the authorities of the East African country.

Rwanda currently lacks a circuit capable of hosting Formula 1, and building one appears to be costly.

The first Grand Prix in the country will be held "once the new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera (about 40 kilometers south of Kigali) is completed, which is expected to happen early next decade," according to the Formula 1 statement yesterday, Tuesday.

This mountainous country is located in the Great Lakes region of Africa and is slightly smaller than Belgium, which colonized it from the 1920s until its independence in 1962.

The country's history was marked by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which left 800,000 dead, most of whom were from this ethnic group, including moderate Hutus as well.

To date, Africa has hosted 24 Formula 1 Grands Prix since the World Championship was launched in 1950, 23 of which were in South Africa, all at the Kyalami circuit between 1967 and 1993.

The only other Grand Prix held on the continent took place in Morocco in 1958 at the Ain-Diab circuit (in the city of Casablanca).