Last Updated on January 29 2024, 9:07 am

Lewis Hamilton has stated it is his “dream” to see Formula One return to Africa, yet the project to date has been beset with trouble. The content last hosted a race on 1985 at the famous Kyalami circuit which had been developed for international motorsport in the 1950’s

Apartheid international sanctions were the reason the race in South Africa was cancelled and the circuit fell into disrepair with the final Grand Prix held in 1983. Kyalami was redeveloped in the 1990’s but to fund the project housing needed to be built which saw a number of the famous old corners eliminated.

 

 

South Africa hopes raised

The South African venue was bought out in 2014 and set to make a return to global motorsport when it was listed on the  provisional calendar for the 2020-21 FIA World Endurance Championship for a six hour race. The calendar was revised following the Covid pandemic and Kyalami was dropped due to the potency of the disease in the region.

Hopes the famous old venue wold return to Formula One in 2023 were raised when In June 2022 Stefano Domenicali flew to South Africa to meet representatives of the circuit and a date was made available on the provisional 2023 calendar.

However, the deal was never signed and Domenicali revealed thy are still “trying to find a solution for the best of the sport” that will allow to bring a Grand Prix back to Africa.

“Africa is still a continent that we are working very hard,” he said last year. “As I always said, we need to find the right partners, the right middle-term plan. What I want to avoid is that we go there one year and then forget it. We are working, trying to find a solution for the best of the sport, for the best of the country.”

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Kyalami falls at final hurdle

South African F1 driver Jodie Scheckter had been the figurehead behind the attempt to being Formula One back to Kyalami but when speaking on the podcast Formula for Success he revealed the reasons why the project had failed.

“I think it could have happened last year – my nephew had spent three years talking to government, getting everything in place and they were going to run it at Kyalami.

“Formula 1 came down there really nearly to sign it up as I understand, and the guy at Kyalami said, ‘No, I want this much money and I want to do this and I want to do that’. And the government, as I understand, saw the friction between the waters and backed away from it. It was ‘that close’ to happening.”

The South Africa government pulled the plug on their investment ending hope F1 would return to its African roots.

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Motor Racing in Zanzibar

Yet now another African nation has ambitions to host an F1 race as the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Company has announced they are planning to spend €500m to build a custom motorcading circuit.

This kind of money could produce a significant venue for Formula One and other motorsports given the ambition is clearly there demonstrated by the huge amount of cash which will be spent.

In a Facebook post, the Italian Consulate of Tanzania stated and agreement has been signed over where the circuit will be built and that Giancarlo Fisichella is “in charge of supervising the technical part of the track”. 

Construction will begin this autumn and the circuit will be ready for FIA certification in 2027. Politician Toufiq Salim Turky is quoted by Italian out sportface.it as saying the circuit will “be a game changer” because it will “bring Africa and Zanzibar onto the world stage of tourism and services”.

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A history to celebrate

The idyllic Indian Ocean island that is Zanzibar has been at the centre of global trade for centuries. Its indigenous spice industry’s meant the golden isle was at the centre of the African trade routes when Europeans set out to explore beyond their own continent.

However, Zanzibar had another trade which boomed in the mid 19th century; it was the centre of the slave routes along East Africa. The island came into British hands as part of the political impetus to abolish the slave trade.

A the Moresby treaty was signed in 1822 to end slave trade in East Africa between the British Consul and Sultan Said.

Ships from the Royal Navy were deployed to enforce the anti-slavery treaties which ensued and the captured any dhows which were carrying slaves. With just four ships based at the Zanzibar port the task was huge given boats from France, Spain, Portugal, and America continued to carry slaves for some years later.

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A fit with Hamilton campaign

Yet Zanzibar became the focus for the abolition of slavery and Lewis Hamilton with his push for diversity, inclusion and equality may come to celebrate the Grand Prix location as part of his mission.

F1 fans will rejoice in the news that a new purpose built circuit is being planned given the recent news that Barcelona will be replaced from 2027 with a street style circuit in Madrid.

Formula One has moved away from requesting new hosts build custom designed circuits given the huge cost involved and a number of white elephants which stand testimony to certain nations ambition over reality.

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1/3rd of F1 tracks now temporary

Huge Autodromes lie empty in India and South Korea as the dream to take Formula One ‘to the world’ was fervently advanced by Bernie Ecclestone. Since Liberty Media acquired the commercial rights to the sport, the new venues added to the calendar are predominantly street style circuits with Saudi Arabia, Miami and Las Vegas coming on stream and now Madrid.

The Losail circuit in Qatar is the only track which was purpose built and pre-existed it’s f1 certification when it opened in 2004 and was built for a reported $58m.

If the temporary circuits in Australia and Canada are included Formula One now races a third of its races on tracks which are not purpose built for the cars. Should the Zanzibar track become a reality it will be a welcome addition to the permanent tracks where the sport has been run for much of its history.

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