South Africa GP bid ‘without substance’ as F1 meeting held

Thomas Maher 01 Aug 2025 1:56 PM

Will F1 return to Africa?

A delegation from the leading bid for the South African Grand Prix met with Formula One Management this week.

F1 could potentially return to South Africa after more than three decades, but PlanetF1.com understands the leading candidate is believed to not be considered a serious proposition by Formula One Management (FOM).

South African GP delegation meets with FOM

Earlier this month, South Africa’s recently-established Bid Steering Committee (BSC) was dissolved by Minister Gayton McKenzie following the selection of a potential promoter for a Grand Prix in the country.

As the only populated continent without a Grand Prix, there is serious interest from F1 in returning to Africa for the first time since Kyalami held its last race in 1993, with South Africa a strong contender due to its established infrastructure and historical links.

Proposals from the private sector were welcomed by the BSC which, in late June, confirmed it had selected a potential promoter to organise a South African Grand Prix following the opening of an expressions of interest (EOI) phase.

Three bids were confirmed as received and, while the details of the selected bid have not been made public, PlanetF1.com understands that a project involving the Kyalami circuit is the leading contender at present, with this bid being presented to South Africa’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).

The project, headed up by CEO of the Kyalami 9 Hours Tom Pearson-Adams, may be the leading candidate at present, but it’s believed that FOM is not fully convinced of its abilities or financial backing.

An estimated figure of some R2bn (96 million euro) has been suggested in order to make an inaugural event happen, with department minister McKenzie – who is pushing hard to see the African nation return to the F1 calendar – recently revealing potential private-sector sponsors and investors such as MTN, MultiChoice, Heineken, and billionaire Johann Rupert to help fund the project.

However, Heineken is already an existing global sponsor of F1 as a whole and, therefore, is unlikely to commit further funding to a separate sponsorship deal with an individual Grand Prix.

It’s also understood no governmental guarantee is behind the bid – a further hindrance for the project due to FOM’s desire, if not outright demand, for such guarantees supporting event bids.

This lack of guarantee is thought to be a major contributing factor behind FOM’s apparent viewing of the Kyalami bid as lacking substance, a stance which is thought to be unchanged following a requested meeting between a delegation with FOM in the United Kingdom on Wednesday. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is understood to have not been in attendance at the meeting.

While sources have indicated the funding behind the project is substantial, it has been suggested to PlanetF1.com that associated costs in bringing the vision to life – such as paying for relatively straightforward Kyalami circuit upgrades such as TecPro barriers – have been met with some consternation.

The project has been described to PlanetF1.com as being chaotic and without substance.

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At present, the DSAC is at the point of putting together a local organising committee (LOC) to partner with the promoter and venue to work with stakeholders, and it’s understood that Minister McKenzie has put himself forward to lead this committee.

Speaking earlier this month, Minister McKenzie said, “It must be emphasised that we are still in the negotiating and planning phase of returning Formula One to South Africa.

“On the face of it, the prospect of South Africa hosting such a race is very achievable, and we look forward to moving the discussion forward with the Formula One Group in coming weeks.”

Originally constructed in 1961, Kyalami does need some investment to reach the FIA Grade 1 standard that’s mandatory for a venue to host an F1 Grand Prix.

Circuit owner Toby Venter recently revealed the extent of five years of planning to upgrade the circuit to reach this standard – an upgrade that has been approved by the FIA.

However, these selected upgrades are conditional on South Africa securing a place on the F1 calendar, with Kyalami selected as the host venue.

Rather than a change to the lay-out, the proposed upgrades will focus on improving run-off areas, barrier systems, kerbs, drainage, and debris fencing.

Minister McKenzie has also said that Venter – also the CEO of Porsche South Africa – is fully committed to the cause of helping return South Africa to the F1 calendar.

“When I told him that the government doesn’t have the money to host Formula 1 because of other more urgent priorities and we would not be able to help him pay for the track to reach F1 standards,” he said, “he looked me in the eye and said he would see it [as] his patriotic duty to do just that.”

Separately, Nigeria’s recent interest in hosting a Grand Prix – a bid fronted by former UK Premier League player Marvin Sordell – is understood to have advanced no further than an initial communication to FOM in a letter expressing a desire to host a race.

As for Rwanda throwing its hat in the ring following an announcement by President Paul Kagame in late 2024, the ongoing conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in the project stalling.

Key infrastructure isn’t yet in place, with a 2022 report revealing fewer than 17000 rooms for accommodation across 870 establishments, with around 40 percent of these rooms being in two-star or lower venues.

A wildcard potential event in Morocco, headed up by former Lotus and McLaren team boss Eric Boullier, has mooted a brand-new $1.2 billion facility built in Tangiers.

However, it’s been suggested to PlanetF1.com that this project is little more than a pipe dream at this stage.