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Rwanda Secures 10-Year Deal to Host Formula 1 From Early 2030s

Rwanda will host a Formula 1 race from the early 2030s under a 10-year agreement that will bring the championship back to Africa for the first time since 1993. The African Grand Prix will take place at a purpose-built c…

Rwanda will host a Formula 1 race from the early 2030s under a 10-year agreement that will bring the championship back to Africa for the first time since 1993.

2026-10-14 · Updated 2026-10-14

Formula 1 said the track will be built to FIA Grade 1 standards and is expected to be ready early in the next decade. The deal makes Rwanda the first confirmed new Formula 1 host country since Saudi Arabia and Qatar joined the calendar in 2021.

It also gives the championship a race on every inhabited continent. Rwanda President Paul Kagame said the event is intended to support tourism, investment, jobs and skills development rather than serve as a single race weekend.

The wider Bugesera project will include sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development around the circuit. Formula 1 has been absent from Africa since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.

South Africa had been seen as the main candidate for a return, while Morocco has also explored hosting a race. Rwanda began a formal push for a Grand Prix in 2024 and has since worked with Formula 1 and the FIA on the project.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has also called for the series to return to the continent. The agreement extends Rwanda's use of global sport as part of its tourism and investment strategy.

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What happened?: Rwanda will host a Formula 1 race from the early 2030s under a 10-year agreement that will bring the championship back to Africa for the first time since 1993.
What happens next?: The desk will follow official notices as they are published.