Kyalami or Cape Town? A historic track or a street circuit that runs through a city voted No.1 in the world? That’s the big question as South Africa fights for a place on the Formula 1 calendar.

Or is it?

SA extends deadline to find F1 stakeholders

South Africa last hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Kyalami circuit in 1993, a race won by Alain Prost. It was the 33rd and last running of the South African Grand Prix.

Politics and socio-economic strife were blamed in the headlines but it was finances – South Africa did not have the money to host a Grand Prix – that put an end to the African country’s run on the biggest of motor racing’s stages.

And South Africa, unless a benevolent benefactor steps up, still doesn’t.

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Although new Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie is pushing for the country to host a Grand Prix, even going as far to declare that Africa could have “two” given Rwanda is also is the running, the big question comes to money.

More to the point, who exactly is paying for this?

Earlier this month McKenzie opened up the bidding and, reading between the lines, it wasn’t all that successful as he’s now extended the deadline.

Under the ‘Request for Expression of Interest’ for an SA F1 Grand Prix, his department stated: “The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Bid Steering Committee (BSC), has extended the submission deadline for the Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) for South Africa’s Formula 1 Grand Prix bid to 18 March 2025.

“This extension aims to give stakeholders additional time to submit comprehensive, well-structured proposals in line with RFEOI requirements. The Ministry is committed to a transparent and competitive process to secure this prestigious motorsport event.

McKenzie emphasized the bid’s significance: “Hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix would boost our economy, tourism and development while showcasing South Africa as a premier global sporting destination. This extension ensures bidders have the time to prepare exceptional proposals.

“The Ministry urges stakeholders to use this opportunity to support South Africa’s Formula 1 ambitions.”

South African F1 ambitions aside, and I write this as a proudly South African citizen who would love to have a Grand Prix in her backyard and who understands that it would bring huge benefits to the city of choosing, F1’s smallest hosting fee in 2023 was 20 million US dollars for Monaco. After that it as Italy and Belgium at 25 million.

That today is times 18.66. Times!

That’s 373,200,000 to host a Grand Prix in South African rands.

To put that into context, in a population where millions don’t even meet the world’s poverty line, 31.1 million people could be fed for a month on that amount.

Yes, having a race would bring millions into the South African economy, but would it really impact the lives of the average South African citizen? Would we even be able to afford a ticket?

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