Lewis Hamilton has spent years pushing Formula 1 to put a race back on African soil. If the latest reporting proves correct, the first return will come from a country rarely spoken about in motorsport circles.
An agreement is reportedly in place for a Rwandan Grand Prix on the 2030 calendar, according to Motorsport Week, which cites paddock sources via RacingNews365. An official confirmation is expected later in 2026.
If signed off, the race would end a 37-year gap in the sport’s relationship with Africa. The last round of the Formula 1 world championship held on the continent was the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, north of Johannesburg.
A new circuit outside Kigali
The venue would be a brand-new permanent track built roughly 40 kilometers outside Kigali, close to the new Bugesera International Airport. The layout is being handled by WurzDesign, the firm run by former Formula 1 driver and current Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman Alexander Wurz.
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Rwanda’s bid has been driven personally by President Paul Kagame, who confirmed the country’s ambitions in a keynote address to the FIA General Assembly in Kigali on 13 December 2024.
“I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa by hosting a Formula One Grand Prix,” Kagame told the assembly.
South Africa and Morocco have also lobbied for a race in recent years, with revived bids around Kyalami and a proposed street circuit in Cape Town. Both have so far fallen short.
Hamilton’s push from inside the paddock
Among the drivers, Hamilton has been the loudest advocate for the return. Speaking to Sky Sports in October 2024, the seven-time world champion made the case plainly.
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“We can’t be adding races in other locations and continuing to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world just takes from,” Hamilton said.
“Rwanda is one of my favourite places I’ve been to, actually.”
Hamilton has repeatedly said he does not want to leave the sport without racing on the continent, pointing both to tourism potential and the fact that Formula 1 has not run a world championship round there since he was a child.
No signatures yet from F1 or the FIA
The deal has not been formally confirmed. Grandprix.com, reporting the same story, notes that neither Formula 1, the FIA nor the Rwandan government has publicly acknowledged an agreement.
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Construction at Bugesera has yet to begin, and the 2030 target leaves roughly four years for the facility to be built, homologated and prepared for a championship round. Wurz has worked on the layout alongside Tilke Engineering, the firm behind most of the modern Formula 1 venues.
An official statement from Formula 1 is expected before the end of 2026, according to the paddock reporting that broke the story.
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