Discussions over a Formula One grand prix being held in Rwanda in 2029 are ongoing, according to the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board.

F1 has been exploring the possibility of bringing the sport back to Africa for several years. The last race to be held on the continent was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami circuit, which was won by four-time world champion Alain Prost.

Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, told The Athletic that talks on F1 are “progressing” but “not yet concluded” and that they are linked to the development of a new international airport in the country.

“We’re in the race to possibly hold a Formula One event here in 2029,” said Afrika. “We actually want to use the airport as an opportunity to practically develop an entire new city.

“So F1, the racetrack that we would have to build, the whole idea of the recreational facilities, because in F1 people come mostly for entertainment. It is one week. So the airport will be done and the negotiations with F1 will be to bring the racetrack.”

Afrika added that the site could also potentially host Formula Two and Formula Three races.

“F1 as a whole is a sport of great interest for us, even beyond bringing the racetrack, in terms of what we could do in the future because it’s the sport of global CEOs, tech entrepreneurs, high net worth individuals, and it is far more targeted. Watch this space because there may be some nice surprises in the near future.”

F1 sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, told The Athletic that Rwanda is the continent’s most advanced contender to host a race in the future, though noted a date is yet to be set in stone, with 2030 also mentioned as a possibility.

Rwandan president Paul Kagame attended the penultimate grand prix in Doha, Qatar, as well as September’s race in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Road World Cycling Championships took place in Rwanda in September and October (Dirk Waem/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Nelly Mukazayire, Rwanda’s minister of sports, echoed Afrika’s confidence. “Talks are going well,” she said. “F1 is something huge, so you as a country really need to prepare in terms of different aspects. Their calendar is getting busier and busier, but we have proven to be a trustable partner and a strategic partner, so we believe we will get there.”

Asked about doors being opened to the type of blue-chip companies that sponsor teams if F1 were to come to Rwanda, Mukazayire replied: “Precisely. Opportunities come out. Even with F1, all those leading companies, all those investors, it opens doors for investment into the nation but also into sport.

“At the same time you are hosting the sport, you are also growing the sport in your industry, and we believe the potential is there.

“So, instead of also limiting the African talent to what you’d call only conventional sport, the growth of African talent should also look into those sports where there have not been enough opportunities for them.

“In addition to that, it is complementary to the whole ecosystem of sports business.”

Lewis Hamilton has called on F1 to bring a race to Africa in the past and said last year that he had “been doing a lot of work in the background and spoken to people in Rwanda and South Africa.”

“We can’t be adding races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world takes from,” said Hamilton. “No one gives anything to Africa. There’s a huge amount of work there that needs to be done.

“I think having a grand prix there would really be able to highlight how great the place is and bring in tourism and all sorts of things so why are we not on that continent?”

The 2026 F1 calendar contains 10 races in Europe, seven in Asia, five in North America, one in South America and one in Oceania. The United States will host three grands prix, while Spain will host two.

Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, hosted the 2024 FIA Awards, during which Kagame confirmed his country’s intention to bid for an F1 race.

What is F1’s history in Africa?

Only two African countries have ever hosted an F1 world championship race: Morocco and South Africa.

The former achieved the feat first with the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix at the Ain-Diab Circuit, with Stirling Moss going down as the first and only driver to win a race in the country. It hosted a race the year prior, but no championship points were on offer.

South Africa first hosted a grand prix in 1962 at the Prince George Circuit, a street track in East London in the country’s Eastern Cape Province.

The race was moved to Kyalami in 1967, where it remained on the calendar up until 1985 — excluding 1981, when complications stemming from the battle for F1’s governance meant that an agreement could not be reached to run an official grand prix.

In 1986, the race was cancelled due to South Africa’s apartheid policy. After that was abolished in 1991, Kyalami returned to the calendar for 1992 and 1993.

Prost on track at Kyalami in 1993 (Pascal Rondeau/Allsport/Getty Images)

Are there plans for a return to South Africa?

In June this year, the Kyalami Circuit announced that the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, had approved plans to upgrade the circuit to grade 1 status within a three-year period, which would allow it to host F1 races.

“Selected works will be actioned pending the successful outcome of South Africa’s place on the Formula 1 calendar and Kyalami being selected as the preferred hosting venue,” a press release said.

South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said, via SABC Sport, that the government had formally endorsed a bid to return F1 to Kyalami “for a three-year period, commencing in 2027”.

However, it is not a guarantee that Kyalami will be the preferred venue if and when F1 returns to the continent. Rwanda is considered the most likely destination for this, with the South Africa project not expected to get off the ground any time soon.

Why could a race in Rwanda be controversial?

Rwanda has attracted headlines and protests over its involvement in sports sponsorship.

Since 2018, Premier League soccer club Arsenal have had a sponsorship agreement with the Rwanda Development Board. The deal, which will end next June, sees the phrase “Visit Rwanda” displayed on the shoulders of the team’s jerseys.

The agreement drew criticism from human rights groups and Arsenal supporters over the domestic situation in Rwanda.

Rwanda has been led by Kagame, leader of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) party, since 2000. The UK government suspended aid to Rwanda in February over its support for the rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, M23.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report in 2023 stated that RPF “continued to wage a campaign against real and perceived opponents of the government” and that “over a dozen political opposition members are in prison” and many are “being prosecuted or have been convicted on spurious grounds”.

The HRW 2025 World Report says that “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people could be arrested under article 143 of the penal code, which punishes “public indecency” with imprisonment ranging from six months to two years”, while stating that Kagame’s re-election was “won with 99.15 percent of the vote (and) took place against a backdrop of repression.”

Visit Rwanda also has a sponsorship deal with La Liga side Atletico Madrid, Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.