Minster of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie says they have to choose between Cape Town and Gauteng to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix race.
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The dream of Formula 1 engines roaring on South African soil is still alive, according to the Minister of Sports Gayton McKenzie. And now he is ready to haul out the "big guns" to convince the sport’s big wigs to bring the global circus to Africa.
In a press briefing held in Johannesburg on Thursday, McKenzie revealed that the bid now carries the full weight of the highest office in the land. The latest development sees a strategic shift toward high-level diplomacy, with President Cyril Ramaphosa set to take a front-seat role in negotiations.
“His excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, has agreed to join me at one Grand Prix later this year. This is a working visit, not a social one. Its purpose is to support South Africa’s ambition to bring Formula One back to the African continent for the first time since our country became a democracy,” McKenzie said.
“F1 was here, but during Apartheid. F1 has not been on African soil in three decades. In that time the sport has returned to the Middle East, Asia, the Americas — every continent except for Africa. That is not acceptable and sustainable,” he noted.
Addressing the technical requirements, McKenzie assured that the government is working methodically to meet the commercial, logistical, infrastructural, and safety criteria demanded by Liberty Media and the FIA.
However, McKenzie did not provide a definitive timeline on Thursday. He recently admitted in a television interview: “Next year, definitely not.
"We have underestimated what is required to host an F1 event. But F1 has held our hand. Now we’ve got the experts and are putting together a bid they can’t refuse.”
The most intriguing aspect of the current bid process is the internal competition between the nation’s two biggest hubs. While many expected the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand to be the default choice, Cape Town’s successful hosting of a Formula E race has positioned the Mother City as a formidable alternative. Kyalami has already begun a costly process to upgrade its track to meet FIA Grade 1 standards.
“There are two very strong bids between Gauteng and Cape Town. So no decision has been taken about where it will happen,” McKenzie confirmed. “We might take both bids to F1 because it’s their product and they will tell us what they favour.”