F1: South Africa GP will have to wait until 2024 (8th Update)
Talk is cheap.
Although the South African Grand Prix is not expected to feature on the 2023 Formula 1 calendar, Lewis Hamilton is still holding out hope it will return soon.
“I’ve been pushing a lot in the background to get the grand prix there,” said the Mercedes driver. “I’m happy that there’s talks.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali “has been doing an amazing job trying to get it to happen,” Hamilton added. “I’m still hopeful that there might be a race next year. Never say never.”
Hamilton may be pushing, but he’s filthy rich. F1 has made him so.
Why isn’t he writing a check to make up the money shortfall, since he wants the race?
After he retires, he could become the race promoter. With his roots in Africa, he would make the perfect race promoter.
August 29, 2022
As we predicted, the South African GP will not be on the 2023 F1 schedule.
SA won’t host a Formula One race in 2023, it has been confirmed, following the announcement that Belgium will remain on the calendar next year.
Warren Scheckter, CEO of South African Grand Prix, on Monday confirmed that there will be no 2023 event.
“I have seen some of the reports put out, with most of the information being incorrect. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to provide detail, but there will be no 2023 South African Grand Prix,” Scheckter told TimesLIVE.
An F1 insider earlier told TimesLIVE that SA billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe had agreed to sponsor the $35m (R590m) hosting fee for a local race, but a sponsor hadn’t been found to fund the additional R100m to upgrade Kyalami that the FIA had requested to give the circuit an F1 rating.
And how many years will Motsepe write a personal check for the sanction fee?
AR1.com’s Rumored 24-Race 2023 Calendar
| No. | Date | Event | Location |
| 1 | March 5 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit |
| 2 | March 12 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Corniche Circuit |
| 3 | April 2 (Confirmed) | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park |
| 4 | April 16 | Qatar Grand Prix | Losail International Circuit |
| 5 | April 23 | Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix | Imola |
| 6 | May 7(Confirmed) | Miami Grand Prix | Miami International Autodrome |
| 7 | May 21 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Catalunya |
| 8 | May 28 | Monaco Grand Prix | Monaco (Tentative – contract negotiations) |
| 9 | June 12 | Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
| 10 | June 26 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring |
| 11 | July 3 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone |
| 12 | July 17 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit |
| 13 | July 30 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring |
| 14 | Aug 27 | Belgium Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps |
| 15 | Sept 3 | Dutch Grand Prix | Zandvoort |
| 16 | Sept 10 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza |
| 17 | Sept 24 | Singapore Grand Prix | Singapore |
| 18 | Oct 1 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka |
| 19 | Oct 8 | Chinese Grand Prix | Shanghai (Tentative) |
| 20 | Oct 22 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas |
| 21 | Oct 29 | Mexican Grand Prix | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez |
| 22 | Nov. 5 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Interlagos |
| 23 | Nov. 18 (Sat night – Confirmed) | Las Vegas Grand Prix | Las Vegas Street Circuit |
| 24 | Nov. 26 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina |
August 25, 2022
As negotiations have dragged on, it is understood that the chances of Kyalami being ready for 2023 are extremely slim and the South African GP will need to wait until 2024 at the earliest.
AR1.com predicted when South Africa was first rumored, that they could not afford a F1 race and the fans could not afford the ticket prices. We always said that since Lewis Hamilton wants the race so bad, and F1 has made him so filthy rich, he should agree to pay the sanction fee.
“I always say we want to have a race in Africa, and today the most likely place to have a race in Africa is South Africa,” said Domenicali this week.
“Discussions are going on. When we’re talking to new promoters, we’re looking for a very clear and solid long-term commitment because we cannot be there for one year and then ‘game over’.
“It’s a situation that is taking time. I think we are going to clarify this situation in the next days, but for sure the commitment to be in Africa is something we want to take.
“But we want to take it right. That’s why the evolution of the calendar will defined in the next couple of weeks maximum.”
That is bringing Spa back into play, keeping the provisional calendar at 24 races – although it would probably require a small calendar rejig to move the Belgian race away from April.
A swap with Imola, slated to take place in July next year, seems the most likely solution.
AR1.com Rumored 24-Race 2023 Calendar
| No. | Date | Event | Location |
| 1 | March 5 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit |
| 2 | March 12 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Corniche Circuit |
| 3 | April 2 (Confirmed) | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park |
| 4 | April 16 | Qatar Grand Prix | Losail International Circuit |
| 5 | April 23 | Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix | Imola |
| 6 | May 7(Confirmed) | Miami Grand Prix | Miami International Autodrome |
| 7 | May 21 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Catalunya |
| 8 | May 28 | Monaco Grand Prix | Monaco (Tentative – contract negotiations) |
| 9 | June 12 | Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
| 10 | June 26 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring |
| 11 | July 3 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone |
| 12 | July 17 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit |
| 13 | July 30 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring |
| 14 | Aug 27 | Belgium Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps (Tentative) |
| 15 | Sept 3 | Dutch Grand Prix | Zandvoort |
| 16 | Sept 10 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza |
| 17 | Sept 24 | Singapore Grand Prix | Singapore |
| 18 | Oct 1 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka |
| 19 | Oct 8 | Chinese Grand Prix | Shanghai (Tentative) |
| 20 | Oct 22 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas |
| 21 | Oct 29 | Mexican Grand Prix | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez |
| 22 | Nov. 5 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Interlagos |
| 23 | Nov. 18 (Sat night – Confirmed) | Las Vegas Grand Prix | Las Vegas Street Circuit |
| 24 | Nov. 26 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina |
July 20, 2022
South Africa’s much speculated return to the Formula 1 calendar is expected to come under scrutiny with a reported visit yesterday by a secondary delegation from the FIA.
Set to be the second round of talks following last month’s high level stopover by F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, racingnews365.com reports that F1’s Head of Vehicle of Performance, Craig Wilson, Sporting Director Steve Nielsen and Principal Engineer Richard Springett conducted an oversight of the facilities at Kyalami to ascertain the granting of an FIA Grade 1 certification needed to host Formula 1.
At present, the track holds a Grade 2 rating, which allows for the hosting of all FIA and non-FIA sanctioned events, bar Formula 1 due to requiring of certain fundamentals on and off the track.
According to the online publication, these include replacing some 50,000 square meters of gravel traps with tarred run-off areas, re-profiling some of the corners and increasing the size of the pit garages.
Also deemed an issue is the size of the team hospitality area at the back of the garages and reportedly, the location of the medical helipad that will have to be relocated in order to avoid attracting in-depth details from television cameras and/or the media.
Citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the upgrades, racingnews365.com states that the alterations could cost between $4 million and $6 million, which, while not insurmountable, is facing time constraints in response to their implementation versus the desire to host the race in April next year.
At the same time, rumors of a contract having been signed to host Formula 1 at Kyalami for the next five years have proved inaccurate according to not only SA Grand Prix Ltd, but also Motorsport South Africa (MSA).
“While all parties are in [verbal] agreement and are pushing hard to get a deal together, no legally binding agreements have yet been signed,” MSA Chairman Anton Roux was quoted by racingnews365.com as saying.
“Unfortunately, there is a lot of fake news about the event. Indeed, in true South African fashion fake tickets are already on sale! We are hopeful of finalizing matters within weeks and making a subsequent announcement.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that F1 logistics partner, DHL, has signed-up as the event’s sponsor until 2028, an allegation that was vehemently denied soon after.
In addition, the racingnews365.com report states that no governmental backing is being sought allegedly as a result of government’s disinterest in supporting the event.
Until an announcement is made outright by Kyalami, the FIA or Formula 1, expect more rumors and unsubstantiated claims to become apparent over the coming weeks and months.
June 16, 2022
AutoRacing1.com laid out the issues with a South African GP below, including the question of how could it afford the high F1 sanction fees given what the local fans could afford (i.e. not much) to pay for a race ticket.
We also questioned whether F1 cars could pass on the track given the short straights and the usual tire marbles off the racing line.
Well it would appear the rumors out of South Africa two days ago were not accurate.
The signing of the much-speculated deal to bring Kyalami F1 back to South Africa has reportedly not occurred as claimed on social media.
According to the source of the claim – motoring forum Motor Magnet – the high-level meeting between F1 President Stefano Domenicali and Kyalami owner Toby Venter allegedly didn’t involve the signing of an agreement.
Instead, they discussed “steps” to bring the sport back to South Africa.
In a tweet, the forum remarked, “Received confirmation from representatives that no deal has been signed, but steps are being taken to put the #KyalamiGP together soon”.
Received confirmation from representatives that no deal has been signed, but steps are being taken to put the #KyalamiGP together in the near future. https://t.co/mLmQSoSddh
— Motor Magnet (@Motor_Magnet) June 14, 2022
On Tuesday, the site tweeted there was a signed agreement that would see F1 return to Kyalami for the first since 1993; a race won by Williams’ Alain Prost from Ayrton Senna (McLaren) and Mark Blundell (Ligier).
Despite claims hinting at a return next year after three decades, the site states that 2024 appears more likely to afford more time, should the go-ahead be given, to implement the various upgrades needed to obtain a level 1 FIA grading.
June 14, 2022
South Africa’s return to the F1 calendar in 2023 has reportedly been signed off following a high-level meeting on Monday between management, stakeholders and Kyalami owner Toby Venter.
In a series of tweets, fan forum Motor Magnet alleges an apparent deal to bring Formula 1 back to South Africa for the first time since 1993 had been signed.
This was allegedly confirmed after a meeting with F1 CEO and President, Stefano Domenicali. The exact length of the deal though is unknown at present.
CONFIRMED: Toby Venter and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali spotted at the @Kyalami_Circuit yesterday, along with other FIA representatives. This comes amidst rumours of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit making a return to the @F1 calendar as early as next year! https://t.co/mLmQSoSddh pic.twitter.com/huspXzepHT
— Motor Magnet (@Motor_Magnet) June 14, 2022
In a subsequent tweet, it claims ticket prices – directly converted from US Dollars – could vary from between R2,000 to R3,600 for a weekend pass, and from R1,600 to R2,800 for race day on Sunday.
While considerably less than the R5,000 previously alleged, it is again worth noting that nothing has been set in stone.
The chatter this morning is that the deal is signed, pending upgrades to the track. Bigger run offs and more barricades need to be added. If this is done in time for the @kyalami9hour, then 2023 race is possible. If not, then 2024 it is lights out and away we go 🏁🏁🏁 https://t.co/Md2dfui8nW
— Motor Magnet (@Motor_Magnet) June 14, 2022
June 14, 2022
The sport returned to Kyalami in 1992 and 1993 after apartheid had ended and Nelson Mandela, later to become the country’s first black head of state, was released from prison.
Mercedes’ seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, the sport’s only half-black driver, has also pushed for the return of an African race, with his black father Anthony involved at one point in a Cape Town project.
We could see a record calendar of 24 races next season, if China’s race in Shanghai is also reinstated after an absence due to Covid-19.
Formula One has already announced a new race in Las Vegas for 2023, joining US rounds in Miami and Austin, while Qatar starts a new 10-year cycle after dropping off this year’s calendar due to the Soccer World Cup.
Some European races, notably France’s round at Le Castellet, could get the axe.
Problem
The average ticket price is expected to be R5,000, well out of reach of most South Africans. That is around $31 per ticket. Even if the race is a sellout, how do you pay a $25 to $50 million per year F1 sanction fee with that meager ticket revenue?
Solution
Lewis Hamilton can forfeit his $50 million per year salary to pay for the event since he wants it so badly. Or F1 can give race organizers a huge discount on the sanction fee, lose money on the event, but gain elsewhere from sponsors who want to be in South Africa.
June 14, 2022
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and a high-level delegation of F1 personnel flew Baku to Sandton, South Africa after Sunday’s Azerbaijan GP, so it appears an announcement may come soon.
We have real concerns that the modified track, although nice, and safer, has zero places to pass for the modern F1 car.
The old layout had a long straight with a kink leading downhill into Turn 1 where slipstreaming enabled overtaking. Now, with the new layout shown below, all passing zones appear gone.
What were they thinking?
The addition of a South African race could mean that, for the first time in its history, F1 will a huge 24-race schedule. But with the sport’s popularity skyrocketing in recent years, Domenicali and his colleagues are pressured to give the public what they want, and to maximize Liberty Media’s profits after they have invested a lot of money into F1 and lost money in 2020 due to Covid.
More races, more profit. Ride F1’s popularity wave while they can.
Chloe Targett-Adams, Formula One’s global director of race promotion, told a CSM-hosted webinar last week that Africa was a big strategic aim.
“It is the only continent we’re not in, it’s an unbelievable demographic in population and one that we’re very keen to bring more into the Formula One world,” she said. “So that’s very much in our sights.”
June 7, 2022
(GMM) South Africa’s strong chances of joining the Formula 1 calendar are reportedly set to take a big step forward.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who recently indicated Kyalami would be the next new venue for the sport, is said to be travelling to the continent for talks with officials shortly.
“We are interested in a return of Formula 1 to Kyalami, but we cannot comment on the rumors that Domenicali is planning a visit,” Christo Kruger, a top official at Kyalami, told The Citizen.
“It is up to Formula 1 to contact us,” he added. “We are not involved as an event organizer, and we will not be. We offer world-class facilities to hire and if Formula 1 wants to use our track we will do everything we can to make the whole event run as smoothly as possible.”
Chair of Motorsport SA (MSA) Anton Roux has also been campaigning to bring an F1 race to SA.
Roux, who is on the senate of world motorsport governing body Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), said many complexities are involved in arranging a Formula One GP, but the FIA can make a case for testing the waters in any city with “fewer requirements”, an example of which resulted in the 2021 Grand Prix at Portimao, Portugal.