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We are three races into the 2022 Formula One season and there are already a number of interesting narratives developing.

There will likely be 23 races in the season, which would make it the longest in history.

Talks are underway regarding extending the season even further in years to come, with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali saying a few weeks back that there is the potential to go to 24 or even 30 races.

What really piqued local interest were his comments that Africa was due a race. On that front, Kyalami is very much in contention.

The last South African F1 Grand Prix took place there back in 1993 and saw French driver Alain Prost secure the chequered flag driving a Williams Renault.

Lewis Hamilton also spoke about a Grand Prix in South Africa, saying “that’s the one I want to hear next that gets announced”.

So how much would you be forking out for a ticket were the Midrand track to land the race? Over to The Citizen:

Experts reckon it would cost about R510 million to stage a Grand Prix at the circuit. That apart, Kyalami does not currently conform to the FIA’s Level 1 requirement needed to host a Grand Prix. Modifying the venue could cost up to another R20 million.

Image: RaceFans.net

“We could probably bring the MotoGP circus here at a tenth of Formula One’s price, with the added bonus of two South Africans, Brad and Darren Binder, racing at the top level of the sport,” said former motorcycle Grand Prix racer and motorsport expert Dave Petersen.

Petersen (who probably wouldn’t be impartial in that F1 versus MotoGP debate) went on to say that a ticket for a South African Grand Prix hosted at Kyalami would likely “run to more than R5 000 each – well beyond the means of South African motorsport enthusiasts”.

It’s cheaper than flying abroad and scoring a ticket but it’s still exorbitant.

Tickets to the FIA Formula E, which is expected to descend upon Cape Town in 2023, should be far more affordable.

[source:citizen]