The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has announced that he has officially submitted an application to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Kigali, the capital. However, the Rwandan state does not yet have a circuit. But the proposal seems to be viewed favorably by Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Ben Sulayem. The doubts, however, lie in the costs and timing to be faced.
With Rwanda, Formula 1 would return to racing in Africa
"We cannot add races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa, from which the rest of the world takes but no one gives anything. I think that having a Grand Prix there will really be able to highlight how fantastic the place is, bring tourism and all sorts of things”. This is what Lewis Hamilton said this summer after his victory at the Belgian GP. The words reported by FormulaPassion are not a surprise, however. For years the seven-time world champion has tried to introduce the topic, in such a way as to also reach the top of Formula 1 and the FIA. Today, it seems, the opportunity to see the African continent back on the calendar seems stronger than ever. Rwanda has in fact officially submitted an application to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The premier category of motorsport has not raced on the African continent since 1993, on the occasion of the South African GP. At the time, on the Kyalami circuit, only seven out of twenty-six cars reached the finish line, with Alain Prost triumphing with his Williams ahead of Ayrton Senna's McLaren and Mark Blundell's Ligier. Kyalami, among other things, is a circuit that is still in operation, so much so that it is, together with Rwanda, one of the candidates to bring Formula 1 back to the African continent. For now, however, the Rwandan novelty seems to be quite the news. President Paul Kagame declared to France Media Agency words of commitment and initiative. "I am happy to officially announce that Rwanda is aiming to bring the thrill of motor racing back to Africa by hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix.".
Enthusiasm was also positively received by Stefano Domenicali, who declared himself interested in the Rwandan project. But, above all, the Rwandan proposal is viewed favorably by FIA President Ben Sulayem, who has already held meetings with the Minister of Sport Richard Nyirishema. It is no coincidence that the FIA General Assembly was held in Kigali during this period. Just as there will be the annual award ceremony of the Federation, in which the following will be awarded: Verstappen and McLaren.
Formula 1 in Rwanda: What Controversies?
Rwanda does not have a racing circuit. For this reason, the project will take a long time to complete. The territory on which the circuit will be built has already been identified. The latter should be built on a hilly area, Bugesera, which is located near the airport of the capital Kigali. The design of the circuit, among other things, apparently sees the signature of former Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz, who raced in the top series between the XNUMXs and the early XNUMXs on board Benetton, Williams and McLaren. The Austrian, with his company, has been working closely with the government for over a year to realize the ambitious project.
But what are the controversies? Ben Sulayem, as mentioned, is enthusiastic about the opportunity. “We are aligned on our values and on shared objectives in key areas such as innovation, sustainability and road safety, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration“. Now, however, looking at the political situation in Rwanda, one wonders what these values extolled by the already questionable FIA president could be. In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame was re-elected for the fourth time with the highly suspicious percentage of 99,15% of the votes. In short, the political context in Rwanda seems anything but transparent. The opposition is reduced to a minimum and often hindered with undemocratic methods.
Yet Rwanda manages to maintain good relations with the West, as the power of President Kagame and his party Rwandan Patriotic Front, even if using significant repression, manages to keep the economic situation stable in the country. Consequently, this apparent solidity allows the Rwandan government to advance proposals such as hosting a F1 GP. To think that when the latter raced in Africa in 1993, the political situation in Rwanda was very serious. In fact, the following year the horror of the genocide of the Tutsis by the other Rwandan ethnic group, the Hutus, broke out.
How much would it cost Rwanda to build a Formula 1 circuit?
The political and social situation has certainly improved, but it is still not the best. Formula 1, which for some years has been trying to sponsor human rights, should therefore pay close attention to where it chooses to race. The FIA and F1 are representatives of the Western world, the same one that bears heavy responsibility for the genocide of the Tutsis in 1994. Of course, it is clear that the trail of money can be inviting, but the context in which one could compete is still important to keep in mind. The sustainability of a sport, or any other community project, is not only dictated by economic values, but also by environmental and social ones.
As a result, some doubts arise, as reported by Stefano Gianuario of Sports and Finance. The construction of the circuit should require no less than 150 million euros. A figure that clashes with the average income of the country, which reaches the figure of 1.000 dollars per capita, or almost the equivalent of two tickets to Monza. Despite what is said, the Rwandan population is not living in well-being and, such an expensive project, it would really be difficult to understand. Not to mention that then, between the design and construction of the circuit, the first race could probably be held in Rwanda only in 2030. In short, Lewis Hamilton is right when he says that we must also look at Africa when talking about Formula 1: but at what price?
Article sources: Sport e Finanza, FormulaPassion, Motorsport.com.
