Gayton McKenzie ropes in Cyril Ramaphosa to help with 2028 F1 bid

With about R2.5-billion now needed to acquire the F1 rights for the 2028 and 2029 seasons, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie is bringing in heavy artillery in the form of President Cyril Ramaphosa in order to make sure that the motor racing event will return to Mzansi once again.

This is after Rwanda landed a landmark 10-year agreement this week to bring the sport back to the African continent, with the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, set to join the calendar in the early 2030s.

South Africa, in fact, the entire African continent, last hosted an F1 race in 1993, and this week, Mzansi was pipped by the fast-flourishing central African country to host the return of the event to the Motherland. And speaking at the Freedom Heritage Museum in Pretoria yesterday, McKenzie was still optimistic about hosting F1 in the 2028/29 calendar years.

READ: F1 returns to Africa as Rwanda signs 10-year deal to host from the early 2030s

Government backing crucial to SA bid

Now, he is roping in President Ramaphosa to leave no stone unturned. The South African head of state will accompany McKenzie to the Abu Dhabi F1 race in early December in order to make a bold statement and to add some weight in their campaign. The minister also mentioned that about R2.5-billion would be needed to secure the race for South Africa.

READ: F1 bid committee welcomes bid process deadline extension

Rwanda secures long-term F1 deal

F1’s long-term agreement with Rwanda will see the first race in the country take place once a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, approximately 40km south of the capital city, Kigali, has been completed, which is expected to be early in the next decade.

“When you bid for F1, it is not like paying people to do a bid book and put your name in an envelope like in many other sports,” said McKenzie. “You have to go and consult with them – it is very consultative. We are at the stage where we need to come up with government guarantees, and before we go to Abu Dhabi on December 4, we must have those guarantees confirmed by the government – they are in the region of R2.3-billion,” he added.

McKenzie hails Rwanda’s achievement

McKenzie also congratulated Rwanda and added that their achievement should be celebrated as a victory for Africa.

“I want to congratulate Rwanda for being awarded a spot on the F1 calendar in 2030. As South Africa, we’re very happy that Rwanda has been awarded this opportunity. We are very happy that they’ve been awarded, and I want to talk directly and congratulate the President of Rwanda, the Rwandan people, and the Minister, who is a very good friend of mine. I would like to congratulate her,” he added.

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