For Formula 1 to become a truly global and diverse World Championship, a race in Africa needs to happen sooner than later and it appears a Grand Prix on the continent is very much on Stefano Domenicali’s radar.
The F1 CEO brought up the matter during a Liberty Media hosted investors call last week when discussing the expansion of F1, as the sport booms globally like never before, with demand usurping supply in terms of venues seeking to host a Grand Prix.
Domenicali confirmed that next year’s F1 calendar there would be 24 rounds and told investors: “The mix of continents we have today is looking good. It’s no secret we are still seeing if there’s a chance to go to Africa – it’s the only continent missing.”
As for F1’s heritage, amid cries by a sector of long-time fans and pundits who believe traditional venues are being sacrificed for money-wielding hosts, Domenicali is looking forwards not backwards: “Only looking behind, there’s something that’s no good. We have to look for a good foundation to look ahead with a different future that’s beautiful.
“To be arrogant and believe that you have a guaranteed future because you had a race for the last 100 years, to be very honest is not enough. It’s clear in the last couple of years the perception of these historical places has changed as they realise the landscape is different.
“Everyone understands that – and we are not playing any games, we are very transparent with them – we are saying if they want to be in the calendar they need to be doing the things we believe is right for them, and also for F1.
“Every race – not only in America – has a different personality, different quality, different segmentation of fans. I don’t see any cannibalization. Everyone is different, everything is different, the events are different. I don’t see any problem there,” added Domenicali.
Is Kyalami the only realistic venue for a Grand Prix on the Mother Continent?
South Africa hosted 23 Grands Prix from 1962 until 1993, three times at East London coastal circuit, and the rest at Kyalami. All were held during the reign of the ruling apartheid regime that used ‘sportswashing’ as a tool to remain relevant for as long as it could.
Things now, of course, are vastly different for the Rainbow Nation. However, a struggling economy and a cumbersome government have South Africans suffering power outages daily, across the country, for hours on end. A Grand Prix at this time would be a questionable exercise in excess that a country can ill afford, at the same time it can be said, the nation could also use some positive news and pride that a GP would no doubt would inject into the populace if it is sold as a beneficial money-making and image-building project for the masses, which it can be; rather than a senseless elite over-indulgence for a minority, which it could be.
While Kyalami may be the odds-on favourite for a F1 return to Africa, in this age of pop-up GeePee venues (aka Miami, Jeddah, Baku etc) the sport could set up anywhere on the continent that would put up the money to host an African Grand Prix for at least a decade, and with it build a circuit to accommodate the race. Even Cape Town or Durban for that matter. What about the murmurings about Morocco and Angola?
In other words, F1 is looking for an upwardly mobile African country, with a Petrolhead President – who understands the commercial and publicity value of hosting a Grand Prix – with bags of disposable cash ready to throw at putting his or her country on the global map, to attract the massive image boost the likes of (hitherto largely unknown) Baku, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have received associating with the sport at the highest level.
The last Grand Prix held on African soil was at Kyalami on 14 March 1993, a race won by Alain Prost (Williams) followed by Ayrton Senna (McLaren) in second and Mark Blundell (Ligier) third; Michael Schumacher (Benetton), in his second full season as an F1 driver, spun out that day.