F1 is expanding into new areas as it continues to grow in popularity across the world. Over the last few years, we have seen additions to the calendar in America, the Middle East and Asia. The question remains, why not Africa?
History Behind the Idea
F1 has ventured into Africa before but only until 1993. The South African GP was first run in 1934. There was a period from 1986 to 1991 where the race was not run due to ongoing issues within the country. The race was cut from the calendar due to the country’s issues around apartheid. It is South Africa that was the base of F1 in Africa and without the appropriate conditions, it is unlikely that it would return.
There has been an increase in interest to return to South Africa which came to a head in 2023. A deal was close but due to South Africa’s reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the offer was shelved. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton were keen to return to South Africa before the political events prevented the plans from being finalised.
Morocco is another country that has hosted a grand prix. They held races from 1925 to 1958. Since this race has not been run in a while, this is an unrealistic suggestion to return.
The Netflix effect has allowed F1 to go from a very Eurocentric sport to a more global one than ever before. This has increased the interest in Africa which has created a fan base which has been largely untapped. More and more African TV channels are picking up the sport to show at much more reasonable prices than Europe. The culture of watch parties at bars has created pockets of fans across the continent.
The presence of TikTok has allowed African influencers to further boost the standing of the sport in the continent. In particular, this would benefit Nigeria in their claim for a F1 race
Factors to take into account
The main issue is the cost of putting on a Formula 1 race. This, as well as the infrastructure needed rules out a lot of the continent. The economics of Formula 1 acts as a barrier to expanding to Africa due to their inability to buy into the diamond of F1. This leaves a handful of countries which could legitimately hold a Formula 1 race. The luxury factor of the sport means the place holding the race needs incredible facilities. It needs plenty of hotels, bars, good connections, hospitals, tourist factors as well as stability as a nation.
While some nations do not have any suitable race tracks, does this matter? Well, not really because of the existence of street circuits. On a personal note, I think a street track around a place like Cairo or Lagos would be amongst the iconic races of the season. I think a street circuit in Africa would be very popular amongst viewers.
Potential options
What does this mean for Africa? Well, it means that the viable options land in South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt Algeria and possibly Morocco.
As it stands, South Africa cannot hold a race due to their proximity to Russia politically, despite being the most viable.
The other nations would need to hold races near their capital cities due to other cities not having the tourism wow factor to the rest of the world. Nigeria has a very good capital city that offers many of the facilities needed to hold a F1 race in. They would need to develop a brand new race track fit for F1. While they do have existing tracks that hold some potential, developing an F1-based track would be much more beneficial.
The problem then arises, who is paying for it and will other motorsport series compete there to make it a financially viable option? Nigeria is a well-known nation across the world. As stupid as this sounds, the country holding an F1 race needs to be well-known otherwise interest will quickly dwindle before race weekend.
Egypt is very well known, and using this logic it should not have a problem. Egypt is also very tourist based meaning hotels will not be an issue. Its proximity to Formula 1 bases is also ideal for logistics. Regarding logistics, Egypt is well-equipped to deal with large numbers of tourists passing through its various transport hubs. The large issue which is similar to Nigeria is the lack of race-fit facilities. To combat this, the Egyptian economy is strong enough to support a race weekend.
The other two nations, Algeria and Morocco offer possible options too. Morocco has a very strong tourist infrastructure and hosting an F1 race outside of their peak tourist season would help their economy. This offers an incentive on their part. As for F1 wanting to go to Morocco, the country holds many major tourist sights and famous beaches. Its proximity to Spain would also help attract a diverse fan attendance. This is the case for Algeria as well. As has been mentioned throughout, it is the infrastructure that is crucial to hosting an F1 race.
Formula 1 is not like other sporting events like the Olympics where the whole thing is usually developed from a plan. It relies on existing structures and infrastructures to allow a race to happen. This is ideal for countries that have been mentioned as they have well-established tourist facilities that can host the hoard of fans that would attend. As for actually having a track to race on, it is much easier to build a circuit around existing tourist structures than the other way around. So in many ways having a race track would ultimately enhance local and national economy if it is built in areas of high development.
closing notes
It is important to note the use of the track is unlikely to be just Formula 1. Other series may be interested in growing their motorsport in the country as well. However, unlike other motorsport series, it has to be F1 to be the pioneer and flagship series to enter Africa.
A Formula 1 race in Africa is likely to grow the popularity very quickly in the continent. It would be very successful and would be an ideal time to grow into a new sector.
Amongst existing fans, a new race in a continent where many fans have never seen an F1 race will be very successful in terms of viewers. There is no doubt that the Netflix effect has brought in a new era of F1 fans, and having a race in Africa as a pose to another race in the Middle East is something that is new and exciting.
It is a win for both the sport and the host country. Hosting a F1 race in Africa will put that country on the map globally thus having a positive effect on tourism. Hopefully, it will also increase work opportunities in the industry in that country. Maybe it will also increase African representation in the sport across the board.
