Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Tuesday, 03 February 2026, 21:05 / Updated Tuesday, 03 February 2026 21:05
South Africa continues its offensive to bring Formula 1 back to the African continent, and the local authorities are preparing a spectacular proposal. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie (51) said intensive work was underway on a bid that could finally convince the management of the Grand Circus to include the South African Grand Prix back on the calendar.
The last Formula 1 race held in South Africa was in 1993, but since then there have been several failed attempts to revive the event. This time, South African officials say things are being taken much more seriously.
Sports Minister: “I underestimated what Formula 1 means”
Gayton McKenzie, the Sports Minister, publicly admitted that the first steps were taken without fully understanding the complexities of organizing a Formula 1 round.
“It certainly won't happen next year. I underestimated what it takes to host a Formula 1 race. So far, Formula 1 has held our hand,” McKenzie told enca.com.
The South African official emphasized, however, that the situation has changed radically:
“Now we have experts and we're preparing an offer they won't be able to refuse“, added the sports minister.
The year 2027, excluded from the calculations
Even in the most optimistic scenario, South Africa will not return to the F1 calendar in 2027. McKenzie was adamant about this, stating that the project needs time to meet all the requirements imposed by Formula 1.
In parallel, Formula 1 has repeatedly expressed its desire to once again have a race in Africa, the only continent currently missing from the World Championship calendar.
But South Africa is not the only country interested. Morocco and Rwanda are two other African countries trying to get a place on the F1 calendar, notes sportal.bg.
