“We Can’t Allow That”: South African Minister Reacts to ‘Kyalami vs Rwanda’ Debate in F1

For more than a year, F1 has been discussing the prospect of hosting a race on the African continent again with various parties. During this time, several reports have suggested that F1 is considering holding the race either at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa or in Rwanda, but not in both locations.

South African Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie has expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing Kyalami vs. Rwanda debate, questioning why Africa cannot host more than one race when some European countries, such as Italy, host two — Monza and Imola.

“Why is it when it comes to Africa, we should be treated like we only can get one, while you have Europe that has seven,” McKenzie said in an attempt to raise concerns about discrimination.

He added, “It can’t be. It will never be. If you go to Europe, if you go to Italy, Italy has two Formula One races. One country has two, while a continent has nothing. We are the global south. We can’t allow that“.

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture – Gayton McKenzie: “Many people talk about Rwanda. Wherever I go, people ask me, what about Rwanda? Do you think Rwanda is going to get it? Do you think South Africa is going to get it? I want to address that matter today”.

1/4 #F1 #Kyalami pic.twitter.com/MI8VTIiVRb

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) December 18, 2024

F1 drivers, such as Lewis Hamilton, have also stated that the sport can no longer ignore Africa by using excuses like no country being ready to host a race, especially when the Kyalami Circuit is nearly prepared.

Moreover, with Rwanda already having submitted its bid to host a race, F1 may soon face a challenging decision — either accept one country’s bid, risking accusations of discrimination or accept both bids and potentially be forced to drop more historic European races from the calendar.

F1 will find it difficult to accept the bid of any African race

Under the latest Concorde Agreement, F1 has committed to a maximum of 24 races per year. With the calendar already reaching that limit in 2024, the inclusion of any new track would necessitate dropping an existing circuit.

In this context, it will be incredibly challenging for F1 to accept any bid from an African country to host a race, let alone two. This is because adding an African race to the calendar would require removing a historic European race, assuming F1 is satisfied with the other countries it currently visits.

Adding to F1’s concerns, it is not just African countries vying to host a race. The city of Madrid has already signed a deal with F1 to host a race starting in 2026.

Furthermore, South Korea is also eager to return to the calendar, having last hosted a race in 2013. Given these pressures, the best solution for F1 might be to alternate between certain races, hosting some in one year and others the following year.