"A Historic Moment"

Wurz Designs the Track: F1 Return to Africa Confirmed!

Alex Wurz is involved as a track designer for the new African Grand Prix. Here’s a glimpse of what the racetrack in Rwanda might look like.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/formula1.com, APA-Images / EXPA / Eibner)

It’s official! Formula 1 will return to Africa starting in 2030. The African Grand Prix will take place in Bugesera, Rwanda. With Austrian involvement: Alexander Wurz is designing the track.

Formula 1 is returning to Africa with a ten-year contract. As the premier class of motorsport announced, drivers will be racing for World Championship points in Rwanda starting in the early 2030s. As part of the “Visit Rwanda” tourism campaign, there will then be an African Grand Prix. Formula 1 last raced in Africa in 1993. At that time, French driver Alain Prost won at Kyalami near Johannesburg. This fulfills a goal set by Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

He had long wanted to reintegrate Africa into the racing calendar. “With Rwanda being added to the racing calendar starting in the next decade, our sport will be contested on every inhabited continent, bringing the World Championship closer than ever to fans around the globe,” Domenicali explained. “Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the very beginning, we were determined to return in the right way—with the right partner, a long-term commitment, and a clear vision to make a lasting impact,” the F1 boss continued.

F1 Boss Stefano Domenicali(Bild: AFP/GIUSEPPE CACACE)

Qatar Invests in Rwanda
For Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, a Formula 1 race is a giant step toward bringing his country even more into the international spotlight. “Today belongs to Africa. For more than three decades, the world’s leading motorsport championship has taken place without this continent—that is now changing with this agreement,” said Kagame. The Grand Prix in the small East African country is set to take place in the Bugesera district, south of the capital Kigali. A new international airport is being built there. Qatar Airways is a 60-percent shareholder and also one of Formula 1’s main sponsors. The racetrack is scheduled to be completed in the early 2030s. It is intended to be “in harmony with the natural landscape,” as stated.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame(Bild: AFP/BRIGHT EMOJA)

  “The racetrack in Bugesera, together with the new international airport, will bring jobs, skills, tourism, and new business opportunities to our country and our region for decades to come,” Kagame said, expressing his hope.

For Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, a dream is coming true. “Rwanda is one of my favorite countries I’ve ever visited,” the only Black driver in the pinnacle of motorsports had recently said. He added that the time is “100 percent” ripe for a Grand Prix in Africa. However, given his age, it’s questionable whether the 41-year-old Ferrari driver will still be behind the wheel for the premiere.

Wurz Designs the Track
There is currently no racetrack in Rwanda. Accordingly, Alexander Wurz and his company “WurzDesign” are set to be commissioned to design a track at Bugesera International Airport, located about 40 kilometers from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. 

Here’s what the track might look like:

Critical Human Rights Situation
Rwanda became known worldwide due to a tragedy: During the 1994 genocide carried out by radical members of the Hutu ethnic group against the Tutsi and moderate Hutu, approximately 800,000 people were often brutally murdered within 100 days.

Human rights activists continue to view the situation in the country very critically. There are reports of arbitrary detentions. Opponents of the government are said to be persecuted, and other people are reportedly subjected to abuse as well. However, Formula 1 has had no qualms about racing in autocratically ruled countries in the past. A key factor has always been the willingness to pay entry fees amounting to millions.