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Formula 1 is one of the most-watched sports competitions in the world. It enjoys a viewership of around 2 billion people each year and is one of just a few truly international competitions. However, despite its teams and drivers competing in the “World Championship”, Formula 1 doesn’t have a race on the continent of Africa. 

This could all change at some point in the future. The sport’s owners, who bought it in 2017, have been on a mission to make it appeal to a much wider audience. They’ve taken many steps to achieve this, such as rescheduling race weekends to make them more exciting, introduced more interactive elements, and provided more in-race data to fans. 

Betting on F1 has also become more popular in recent years too, with many fans taking advantage of free bet promotions to place wagers on the outcome of the races and championships. This has been helped by the sport providing more data to betting companies and the first iGaming sponsors appearing at the side of tracks. 

Another step has been to add new races to the calendar, including a second US Grand Prix in 2022, and the return of the Dutch Grand Prix in 2021. Formula 1’s management are still working hard to add even more races in potentially lucrative markets, one of which is South Africa. 

There’s good reason for this too. South Africa is a big sporting nation with almost every discipline played at some level in the country, though football, cricket, and rugby are by far the most popular. The country is a major venue on the international stage too, hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and the South Africa national rugby union team being ranked number one in the world. 

However, for fans of motorsport, there aren’t many opportunities in the country. 

Motorsport in South Africa

Motorsport South Africa is the national governing body for motorsport in the country, and its website lists the many scheduled events that take place under its jurisdiction. However, most of these are fairly low-level competitions.

International-level competitions have been run in the country though, but most have ceased to operate. The Formula Volkswagen South Africa Championship only ran until 2013, while the other three championships all folded in the 1970s. 

The South African National Rally Championship is the only major tournament still running in the country. 

Hosting a round of the F1 World Championship would, therefore, be an exciting prospect for motorsport fans in the country and on the continent. 

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Once Upon a Time

This wasn’t always the case though. Throughout much of the second half of the 20th century, South Africa was a regular fixture on the Formula 1 World Championship calendar. In fact, during the years when non-championship races were commonplace, the country hosted a second race known as the Rand Grand Prix, though the results didn’t count towards the championship. 

The first official South African Grand Prix took place at the Prince George Circuit in Easton London on 29th December 1962, while the last took place in 1993 at the Kyalami circuit. Since then, Formula 1 hasn’t returned to the country or the African continent though there have been numerous attempts to bring it back. 

South Africa also produced a lot of Formula 1 drivers. There have been 23 in total who have competed in 190 races across 151 different Grands Prix. The first was Tony Maggs, who competed in his debut race at Great Britain in 1961, though the most famous and most successful driver from the country was Jody Scheckter, who raced between 1972 and 1980 and won 10 events. 

However, after Scheckter retired in 1980, there has been a 41-year drought on South African talent coming into the sport. Hosting a race in South Africa could potentially inspire a new generation of drivers. 

How Likely is it?

Establishing that a race in South Africa would be a great boon for the sport and the country isn’t enough. A lot of things need to fall into place for a Grand Prix to be held in the country. 

Firstly, South Africa needs to get an FIA Grade One circuit. At present, the Kyalami Circuit is only Grade Two and will require modifications to bring it up to standard. 

Secondly, there needs to be someone willing to fund the race, either private or public entities, and it’s unclear as to where that money would come from. And finally, Formula 1 needs to find space on its already busy schedule. This could be done, but would likely come at the expense of another race, something that is always controversial. 

Despite support at all levels of the sport, these are significant hurdles to overcome. So while a South African Grand Prix is possible, don’t expect to see one anytime soon.