F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali revealed the championship is in talks with Rwanda over plans to host a grand prix within the East African nation.
Domenicali instructed Autosport that Rwanda is “serious” about the project, particularly as F1 doesn’t at the moment maintain a spherical in Africa regardless of grands prix within the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia.
However a go to to the continent is now a key goal as F1 goals to extend its calendar to capitalise on the championship’s international recognition growth.
So, what’s Africa’s historical past in F1 and what do drivers consider a possible go to to the continent?
Marc Surer, Arrows A6 Ford
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Has F1 raced in Africa earlier than?
There have been two African international locations to host an F1 race: Morocco and South Africa. F1 first visited Africa in 1958 with the Moroccan Grand Prix, which has up to now been the championship’s solely go to to the nation.
However grand prix racing in Morocco truly started in 1925, when it hosted the Casablanca GP that was staged for touring vehicles and was received by Frenchman Comte de Vaugelas in a Delage.
Morocco hosted a grand prix on and off over the next 31 years for touring or sports activities vehicles, the place the occasion had different titles just like the Anfa GP.
It was solely in 1957 that Morocco lastly ran its occasion to F1 rules, as a world-class discipline debuted the Ain-Diab Circuit in Casablanca-Settat which was a 4.724-mile high-speed monitor that ran by means of the Sidi Abderrahman forest.
Despite the fact that it was a non-championship spherical, that means no factors have been on provide, a lot of the F1 grid nonetheless took half. The race was finally received by Jean Behra for Maserati, forward of Stewart Lewis-Evans and Maurice Trintignant.
Juan Manuel Fangio was additionally amongst the finishers in fourth, whereas Tony Brooks began on pole however retired after 12 laps on account of an issue together with his Vanwall’s electrics. The grand prix lastly grew to become a championship occasion the next yr, because the Moroccan GP hosted the ultimate spherical of the 1958 F1 season.
It capped off an unbelievable title battle between Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn, who have been separated by eight factors with one spherical remaining.
Moss wanted to win in Morocco whereas setting the quickest lap with Hawthorn ending no larger than third to pip his Ferrari rival to the title. He may have additionally finished it by successful with out the quickest lap bonus level and Hawthorn ending third or decrease additionally with out the quickest lap.
Hawthorn dealt the primary blow by beating Moss to pole by simply 0.1s, however the Vanwall driver claimed the lead at race begin whereas Hawthorn even dropped behind Phil Hill to 3rd. Moss was a degree above that day as he shortly pulled away from the remainder of the pack, whereas Hawthorn dropped to fourth after 25 laps.
He re-claimed third shortly afterwards, whereas workforce orders meant Hawthorn overtook Hill for second on the forty first lap – a ending place which gave him the world championship.
Hawthorn’s glory was marred by Lewis-Evans’ crash although, as a seizing engine despatched him into the limitations inflicting his Vanwall to catch fireplace. Six days later, the burns triggered him to die on the age of 28 and F1 has not returned to Morocco.
F1 subsequent visited the continent in 1962 for the South African GP, when it was hosted at Prince George Circuit which first held the occasion in 1934. It was the vacation spot for South Africa’s first three inclusions on the F1 calendar, during which Graham Hill claimed the inaugural victory earlier than Jim Clark received the following two in 1963 and 1965.
The South African GP moved to its eventual everlasting venue of Kyalami in 1967, which on the time was a 2.55-mile monitor on the outskirts of the nation’s largest metropolis Johannesburg.
It hosted the South African GP yearly till 1985, throughout which period Kyalami opened the F1 season six occasions whereas additionally being the finale in 1983. The 1981 version was a non-championship spherical although, because of the ongoing FISA-FOCA battle which was a political battle between the 2 sporting organisations.
That yr, the South African GP was scheduled to be the season opener in February however the Fédération Internationale du Sport Vehicle (FISA) groups withdrew as a result of they insisted on a date change.
The occasion was run to System Libre rules consequently and solely the System One Constructors’ Affiliation affiliated groups partook, with Carlos Reutemann successful for Williams.
It was additionally the last decade that violence broke out on account of apartheid – a system of institutionalised racial segregation – and nations started to boycott sporting occasions in South Africa.
So, simply after the 1985 South African GP, which was received by Nigel Mansell, FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre confirmed F1 would cease visiting till apartheid ended. It did so in 1991 that means F1 returned to South Africa the next yr at a closely revised Kyalami circuit, which was now 0.098 miles longer whereas the start-finish straight had moved to the opposite facet of the monitor.
Mansell received once more on Kyalami’s return having dominated from pole to kickstart his championship-winning marketing campaign. South Africa was the season opener once more in 1993 and that yr’s world champion Alain Prost additionally received from pole, but 4 months later Kyalami was offered to the South African Vehicle Affiliation who deemed operating a grand prix too expensive.
So, that season was Kyalami’s last look on the calendar and F1 has not visited the African continent since 1993.
Alain Prost, Williams FW15C Renault.
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Is F1 coming to Africa?
The African continent’s potential return to F1 has been a constant speaking level over the previous a number of years. In 2009, for instance, then-FIA president Jean Todt questioned the nation’s curiosity in F1 to which Beaulah Schoeman, Managing Director of Motorsport South Africa on the time, lashed back stating how proud they are of previously hosting a grand prix.
Its return appeared far-fetched although on account of Kyalami’s decline, however heavy renovation work was carried out over the next years. This led to circuit developer Andrew Baldwin saying in 2016 that Kyalami is “close” to being compliant with F1 standards, which state the ability have to be FIA Grade 1 to host a grand prix.
Kyalami was working in direction of Grade 2 standing on the time and regardless of finally reaching that degree, it has remained ever since thus affecting its probabilities of returning to F1. That’s regardless of huge negotiations between F1 and the venue which triggered hypothesis that South Africa may be added to the already congested 2023 calendar.
That finally didn’t occur as negotiations broke down but talks continued for 2024. However, F1 was understood to be reluctant to push ahead with potentially unsustainable plans that might end result within the occasion collapsing earlier than its contract has even completed.
The delay additionally adopted accusations from the USA ambassador to South Africa that the nation had equipped arms to Russia in its battle with Ukraine. So, plans to reintroduce Kyalami for 2024 have been shelved and Rwanda has since emerged because the African nation probably to host a grand prix.
Talks have been scheduled between F1 bosses and the Rwandan representatives, during which it’s understood that plans are at a complicated sufficient stage for extra severe discussions to happen.
Domenicali confirmed “it will likely be on a everlasting monitor” ought to the grand prix go forward, however the place in Rwanda the venue might be is but to be revealed.
Within the meantime, Rwanda will improve its motorsport presence by internet hosting this yr’s FIA Annual Normal Meeting and Prize Giving Ceremony at its capital metropolis Kigali in December.
Domenicali will maintain talks with Rwanda over a possible future on the calendar
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Do F1 drivers wish to race in Africa?
A number of F1 drivers have repeatedly supported the concept of the championship returning to Africa with Lewis Hamilton being probably the most vocal.
The seven-time world champion spoke on the topic in 2021 when he was requested which nation he would most prefer to see added to the F1 calendar.
This query got here throughout a yr that noticed Saudi Arabia and Qatar make their F1 debuts, whereas the inaugural Miami GP was set to occur in 2022.
Hamilton stated: ”The place that I actually really feel is expensive to my coronary heart and most essential for me is to get a race again in South Africa.
“I believe there’s a nice following on the market and I believe it could be nice to have the ability to spotlight simply how lovely the motherland is.”
These ideas have been echoed by Charles Leclerc, who stated: ”I agree with Lewis, on Africa normally, it could be nice to have a race there.”
The subject got here up once more in 2022 when Domenicali reiterated his want for Africa to return as a result of “we’re a world championship, and that is an space the place we aren’t there”.
Hamilton then continued his public advocacy for a race on the continent, as he stated forward of the 2023 Miami GP: “I just like the route personally that [F1] goes in. I have been right here, like many individuals, a very long time. I just like the change that we’re seeing and it is thrilling coming to completely different elements of the world and completely different circuits.
“We’re on all the opposite continents, so I am hoping we get to go to Africa quickly and that can be a tremendous expertise for the entire circus to expertise the tradition there.”
Max Verstappen is one other world champion to have supplied assist for a race in Africa, due to F1’s have to unfold out its increasing calendar.
“I actually suppose we’d like a race in Africa,” he stated. “We mainly race on each different continent already, so I believe that is the following step for System 1.
“System 1 already has a historical past in South Africa, so that may be an awesome addition to the System 1 calendar.”
Hamilton and Leclerc have each advocated an African spherical
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Has there ever been an African F1 driver?
There have been 30 drivers from the continent to enter an F1 grand prix. South Africa is probably the most represented nation having produced 23 F1 drivers, although solely 4 of these have began over 10 races: Jody Scheckter, Tony Maggs, Ian Scheckter and Dave Charlton.
Jody, the youthful brother of Ian, is probably the most profitable as he stays the one F1 world champion to have hailed from the African continent. His debut got here with McLaren on the 1972 season finale in Watkins Glen, however Scheckter didn’t contest a full F1 marketing campaign till 1974.
It was a powerful rookie yr too as Scheckter, who changed the retired Sir Jackie Stewart at Tyrrell, completed third within the championship with two victories. The next season was disappointing for Scheckter although, as he got here seventh within the standings however he did grow to be the primary South African to win their dwelling race after keeping off Carlos Reutemann who was simply 3.74s behind.
Scheckter received 4 grands prix over the next three years earlier than clinching his world championship in 1979. It was a fairly dominant marketing campaign by the then-Ferrari driver, whose six podiums together with three victories meant he clinched the title with two rounds to spare. The Scuderia tousled its automobile for 1980 although, as Scheckter scored simply two factors earlier than retiring on the finish of the yr.
Rhodesia, now the impartial international locations of Zimbabwe and Zambia, is F1’s subsequent finest represented a part of Africa as six drivers have hailed from the previous British colony. Though none of them entered greater than 10 grands prix of their profession, John Love nonetheless loved a comparatively profitable time.
That’s as a result of Love, whose solely entry exterior of Africa was in Monza, completed second on the 1967 South African GP when competing in a privateer Cooper. Love additionally competed away from F1, as he received the 1962 British Saloon Automobile Championship, now the British Touring Automobile Championship, in a Mini Cooper.
Morocco is the third African nation to have been represented in F1, as Robert La Caze was the championship’s first driver to compete below an African licence. He solely entered one grand prix although, as he completed 14th at his dwelling race utilizing a privateer Cooper.
La Caze additionally contested the Le Mans 24 Hours thrice however by no means completed.
Jody Scheckter is Africa’s solely F1 champion
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