Twitter is awash with speculation that the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami is on.
South Africans should temper their elation for now as no official word has yet come about hosting the event.
F1 wants to race on all continents, and Africa is the last grand prix. Stefano Domenicali visited Kyalami earlier this year to meet with the track’s owners.
According to multiple reports Tuesday morning, the SA GP will return in 2023, possibly in August, and on a multiyear contract.
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Sage Hou posted, “South African GP at Kyalami will be in 2023.” Formula 1 and DHL signed a 5-year contract to ship goods to South Africa.
South Africans were excited about Formula 1 returning to the country for the first time in 30 years after seeing the tweet.
There were positive talks about adding Kyalami to the Formula 1 calendar in June.
At that point, it was revealed that the FIA had already done its track telemetry and that all that was needed were financial and commercial contracts.
FIA classifies Kyalami as a Grade 2 track, so it must be upgraded to host a Formula 1 GP. According to Porsche SA, which manages the track through Toby Venter’s consortium, these upgrades are minor and improve run-off areas and track safety. No need to change the track layout.
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The addition of a SA GP will require dropping a European event, with Spa-Francorchamps likely to lose its contract. Monaco and France are also targets.
Porsche SA was contacted for comment on Tuesday morning and received a prompt reply from group public relations manager Christo Kruger: “Currently, there is no contract in place with Kyalami.”
Kruger promised to update South Africans if good news came.
Update
Regrettably, Formula One’s intention to stage a grand prix in South Africa in 2024 did not materialize. On the other hand, this indicates that the much-loved Belgian Grand Prix held at Spa-Francorchamps is likely to continue for yet another season.
As part of the efforts Formula One has been making to incorporate a race on the African continent over the past few years, the Kyalami circuit has been on the radar as a potential venue for a return visit. Between 1967 and 1993, Kyalami played host to a total of 21 Formula One races.
Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, was a supporter of the South African Grand Prix. Hamilton expressed his desire for the event to take place, stating that racing in Africa would be a “big dream.”
Why was the South African Grand Prix Cancelled?
Unfortunately, discussions with the original organizers were unsuccessful due to concerns regarding funding for the necessary upgrades to meet modern standards. These concerns prevented the talks from moving forward.
According to the information gathered from various sources, the competition was finally given up as a result of South Africa’s alleged political alignment with Russia. Due to Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine, Formula One decided to cancel the Russian Grand Prix.
As a consequence of this, the Belgian Grand Prix, which at one point was in danger of being supplanted by the Kyalami event, is expected to continue for the 2024 edition, despite the fact that it only has a contract for the 2023 race at the moment. However, the Spa-Francorchamps event, which is an iconic venue on the Formula One calendar, does not yet have a clear plan for its long-term future because it is seeking a long-term agreement in order to remain on the schedule.
In spite of this setback, Formula One is still eager to find a suitable venue anywhere in Africa, as the continent has not played host to a grand prix since 1992.
