Breaking: F1 chief issues three-point South African Grand Prix plan

F1 chief issues three-point South African Grand Prix plan

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has provided a significant update on the sport’s potential return to Africa for the first time in more than three decades.
Efforts to reinstate the South African Grand Prix to the F1 calendar have been ongoing for several years, but as of yet, no return date has been set. F1 bosses have made no secret of their desire to bring the sport back to the continent for the first time since 1993, but Domenicali has revealed that there are a number of hurdles still to be overcome before formal proposals can be put in place.
When asked by Motorsport.com if plans were on hold, the former Ferrari team principal responded: “That’s not the right word
“In the future, having two grands prix in the same country will become increasingly difficult as interest in our sport continues to grow.

“It’s something we’ll be discussing in the coming months, although at present, it seems very difficult to sustain this kind of situation for much longer.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to hold two grands prix in the same country because interest in Formula 1 is growing.”
Imola’s F1 future looks bleak
The 2025 F1 calendar is the joint biggest in the sport’s history, with 24 races staged across the world over nine gruelling months. A number of new circuits have been added to the lineup in recent years, such as Miami and Las Vegas, as F1 continues to expand its global reach. Several countries have expressed an interest in adding their names to the exclusive list of F1 destinations, including the likes of Thailand and South Africa – who last hosted a race over three decades ago.

The decision to stage the Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps on a rotational basis from 2027 has opened the door to the possibility that new venues could be added, while the Dutch GP will no longer be on the calendar after 2026