Formula 1 returns to Africa with a Grand Prix in Rwanda from 2030

Formula 1 announced on Tuesday that the African Grand Prix will be held from 2030 on a new circuit in Rwanda, so the 'Great Circus' will return to Africa 37 years later.

The first race will take place after the completion of a new circuit built specifically for this purpose in Bugesera, Rwanda, which is expected to take place at the beginning of the next decade, according to F1.

It will be located40 kilometres south ofthe capital, Kigali, and next to the city's new International Airport. The circuit will be designed to integrate into the natural landscape in "harmony", taking advantage of land slopes to make the race "unique and demanding".

For F1, Africa is "one of the best growth opportunities for this sport, with more than 100 million fansstill on the continent, and almost 60% of fans of the major markets in sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 35. "

For Stefano Domenicali,president and CEO of F1 , this is a "historic moment." "With Rwanda's entry into the calendar from the next decade, our sport will be present on all continents, bringing the World Cup closer than ever to its followers around the world," he said.

On the other hand, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has also stressed that the return of the World Cup to Africa is "an important step." Finally, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been proud to host the Grand Prix and "share it right now with more than 100 million fans from all over Africa, many of whom deserve to see the sport in their country and be reflected there: engineers, technicians and, one day, pilots."

As part of its strategy to achieve international visibility through sport, Rwanda has in recent years signed contractswith Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético de Madrid and Bayern Munich , as well as as  with the NBA.

However, the Arsenal and Munich announced in 2025 that they would end their sponsorship as a result of the repression and human rights violationsof Rwanda  and international pressure on the Kagame government, which has also been accused of supporting rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which borders.

Since coming to power in 2000, Kagame, 68, has gained international recognition for his economic successes and for the reconstruction of Rwanda following the 1994 genocide, although human rights organisations have on numerous occasions denouncedarbitrary arrests and dissidents by the Government.