Formula 1 hasn't raced on the African continent for 29 years, yet now looks increasingly likely to return as early as next season. The championship's last race took place at the Kyalami circuit in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1993 after a brief return in 1992, following the end of Apartheid. Since then, no real attempts were made to revive the classic Grand Prix, with F1 seemingly falling out of love with the idea of racing on each of the world's continents to secure its 'world' championship status.

The African continent itself is also rife with poverty and food insecurity, with many of its countries suffering from a poor economic outlook. It firmly places them out of even contemplating the idea of hosting Formula 1.

The History of The Classic Kyalami Circuit

The first Grand Prix in Kyalami took place in 1967, with the facility holding 21 races until 1993—but only two of the circuit layouts are reminiscent of today's, post-apartheid.

The South African Automobile Association purchased the entire facility in July 1993, and the new owners quickly decided that hosting a Grand Prix would be too expensive and didn't fit with their long-term financial strategy.

Kyalami did host several two-wheeled motorsport categories in the following years, such as Sidecars and Superbikes, but eventually, the track and facilities fell into disrepair.

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Toby Venter, the CEO of Porsche South Africa, bought the circuit in 2014, for $19.5 million. The track was heavily redesigned and redeveloped to FIA Grade 2 status. It is currently a 2.814-mile circuit with 16 corners and a lap record of 1:42.041 (by Matt Campbell in a Porsche 911 GT3 R). The fastest an F1 car had lapped the 1990s layout was 1:17.578, by Nigel Mansell in the 1992 Williams.

In 2018, Motorsport South Africa declared that the only real obstacles to an F1 return to South Africa were the costs of hosting the event and the fact that no circuit in the country fulfilled the FIA's Grade 1 safety requirement. This was only a year after Liberty Media took over F1 from Bernie Ecclestone.

The Kyalami circuit is the closest to meeting that requirement, but would need extensive barrier and run-off changes. The 2020-21 provisional calendar for the World Endurance Championship accommodated 6 hours of Kyalami slot for February 2021, before the pandemic forced its removal.

Lewis Hamilton Fully Behind A South Africa Comeback

When F1 unveiled what it hopes to be its all-new 'flagship' event—the revival of the Las Vegas Grand Prix—seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton called for the next calendar announcement to be that of a return to South Africa.

“The one I really want to see is South Africa. That’s the one I want to hear announced next,” Hamilton stated.

“We’re pretty much on every other continent, so why not? Ultimately, my ancestors are from there, so that’s why it is important for me personally.

“I think it’s important for the sport to go there,” the seven-time world champion concluded.

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Formula 1's CEO Stefano Domenicali previously made it clear how there is “potential” to host a race on the African continent again, as F1 looks to make further additions to its schedule.

“On top of America, on top of China, I think there is a potential also to be in Africa soon,” Domenicali stated in an interview with Sky Sports F1.

“There is a lot of interest there. For sure, that’s another area that so far is missing in the geography of our calendar.”

Liberty Media's ownership of Formula 1 has certainly not been shy to make its mark on the calendar, with the COVID-19 pandemic also forcing several rethinks. The likes of the Chinese Grand Prix are proving problematic to reinstate as the country is still grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic outbreak. This potentially frees up a spot on the calendar, although the recent additions of Saudi Arabia, Imola, Qatar, Miami, Las Vegas, and even Zandvoort are leading to yearly race rotations for historic circuits, such as Monaco and Spa, becoming likely.

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has already threatened to leave the sport altogether if the F1 calendar features too many races. The more races in a season, the burden placed on team personnel is only going to increase for the worse, with a busier calendar likely to extend beyond this year's 23 races (expected replacement for Russia included).

Nevertheless, the next big F1 calendar announcement is set to be on its way in the coming months, with South Africa poised to make a prized comeback for the future.