Formula 1 News: African ‘stability’ a factor in F1 race deal
(GMM) “Stability” in a potential host country of an African GP is an important consideration, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem (pictured) insists.
Speaking with the Dutch publication Formule 1, Ben Sulayem was reminded that some time ago he expressed his preference that if Formula 1 completes its world championship by heading to Africa, his preference is Rwanda.

“No, not for Rwanda – for Africa,” the FIA boss insists.
“I still believe we need more teams and more races, it’s just that the drivers come to me and say ‘Please, no more races’. But Africa as a continent has always been somewhat forgotten.
“I’m proud that last year, for the first time in FIA history, we held the General Assembly in Rwanda.”
Funding aside, however, an issue for Rwanda is the political stability, as well as alleged human rights violations.
“Yes, you can go in that direction,” said Ben Sulayem when asked about that. “When you talk about the Middle East, we have four F1 races and it often comes down to human rights and sports washing.
“Fine, but we were at the Qatar Airways British GP earlier this month,” he smiled. “So it just doesn’t make sense. I’m a proponent of Africa.
“If we are considering a location in Africa, we’ll follow our normal procedure and carefully consider the financial side of things and financial stability. Then we’ll also certainly look carefully at whether there’s stability in other areas in the country in question.”
South Africa – specifically Kyalami – looks to be in a stronger position than Rwanda at present, with the FIA even promising to issue F1-ready Grade 1 status for the circuit pending upgrades.
Related Article: F1 News: Kyalami upgrades approved, but still far short of money needed to host F1
South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie revealed in parliament this week that a key meeting with Formula 1 will take place within two weeks – with private sector backers also involved.

“Those who say the country cannot afford to host Formula 1, I say South Africa cannot afford not to,” he declared.
The minister pointed out that several existing Formula 1 race hosts are desperately trying to find ways to stay on the calendar.
“They see the value in it,” said McKenzie, “and it cannot be called a world championship if it misses an entire continent.”
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“When we hosted the Fifa World Cup, we put our country on the map to host big events, and we should not turn back now,” McKenzie told parliament on Tuesday.
“What will be different this time is that government will not be expected to pay. Companies such as MTN, MultiChoice, Heineken and many more have raised their hands and will be present with us in the meeting with Formula One management at the end of the month.
“We’ve even had patriots saying whenever you need help come to us, one of them being the richest man in the country, Johann Rupert.”