Lewis Hamilton’s Wish Granted as Kyalami Circuit CEO Promises Big Things

Formula One is regarded as one of the biggest international sports of current times. It has host countries sprinkled all over the world. But there is one continent that has not held a Grand Prix since 1993—Africa. While F1 is a luxurious affair with the motorhomes traveling across great oceans to far-off places, quite surprisingly, Africa has not made the racing calendar as of yet.

Even after that, there have been speculations, and now fans are getting their hands on concrete evidence that a Formula One race will be held at the Kyalami Circuit outside Johannesburg, South Africa, as early as 2023.

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Kyalami is ready to bring F1 back to Africa

To all Motorsport fans’ delight, Warren Scheckter, CEO of the South African Grand Prix, dropped major hints regarding a Kyalami F1 race in the near future. He said the South African circuit, which hosted the F1 GPs till 1993, is ready to bring Formula 1 back to the African fans.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also wishes to put forth a proper plan to start racing in South Africa pretty soon. This will bring in a newer audience and will increase the sports’ viewership numbers as well. According to reports, Liberty Media is also onboard with the plan.

Warren Scheckter, CEO of the South African Grand Prix, says Kyalami is “ready” to bring Formula 1 back to the nation in 2023. | @Wheels24 https://t.co/pLbDw2li8q

— News24 (@News24) October 17, 2021

Not only Scheckter, but a few other African racing personnel like Kyalami Circuit owner Toby Venter also said he is eagerly waiting for F1 to visit South Africa. Speaking with Wheels24‘s Janine Van der Post, he said, “We want to have a race in Africa, and we want someone to pay for it. If the money is there, the race will happen. And, if F1 is desperate to race in Africa, even without the money, we have the track.”

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But you cannot build a racing circuit out of the blue in just one day. There are many safety precautions and other mandates to follow. As of now, the Kyalami Racing Circuit has a Grade 2 status, and it needs to upgrade itself to Grade 1 to get the permit to host an F1 race.

Hamilton is all in for a South African Grand Prix

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has always rooted for a change in the way Formula One is conducted. And now, he wants to take this sport back to South Africa, as the country has not hosted a race in almost 20 years. He said in a recent interview, that he thinks Formula One needs to visit Africa in order to establish a “full world championship” in the true sense.

Formula One F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 7, 2021, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during a press conference ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix Pool via REUTERS/Sedat Suna

Will the South African Formula 1 give fans new thrills as the circuits at Belgium and a few other places do? How soon will we get to see a South African F1 race? These questions will be answered in due course of time.

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