Rwanda president confirms bid for F1 race

• Africa has not held an F1 race since 1993
• Previous efforts to stage an event in South Africa proved unsuccessful

Rwanda president Paul Kagame has revealed that the country is bidding to host a Formula One race.

Speaking at the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) end-of-season prize giving ceremony, held in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, Kagame confirmed the long-rumoured bid.

Kagame said: “I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa, by hosting a Formula One Grand Prix.

“A big thank you to [Formula One president] Stefano Domenicali and the entire team at F1 for the good progress in our discussions so far.

“I assure you we are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment it deserves.”

If a deal is agreed, the race would be held at a new circuit close to the Bugesera airport outside Kigali. The project is now considered the most likely candidate for an African Grand Prix.

Previous efforts to stage a race at Kyalami Circuit in South Africa were unsuccessful. Formula One has not raced in Africa since 1993.

A Grand Prix in Rwanda would be controversial given Kagame has been accused of creating an autocratic state. Notably, Human Rights Watch states that several high-profile critics of the government have been arrested or threatened and authorities regularly fail to conduct credible investigations into cases of enforced disappearances and suspicious deaths of government opponents.

Elsewhere, the FIA has approved a controversial set of rule changes that grants president Mohammed Ben Sulayem greater control over the organisation.

In short, the FIA ethics committee will now only carry out an initial assessment to determine whether an in-depth investigation is necessary.

Ben Sulayem and the FIA president of the senate, Carmelo Sanz De Barros, will have the power to decide whether to take further action on any ethics complaints.

These changes come after Ben Sulayem was placed under investigation for interfering with last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and attempting to block the certification of the circuit in Las Vegas. Both allegations were dismissed.

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BlackBook says…

What should have been a good news story for Rwanda has been overshadowed by the bureaucracy of the FIA.

Race director Niels Wittich and chief executive Natalie Robyn have headlined a raft of high-profile exits from the FIA in the past 18 months, with six departures having occurred in the last three months alone.

Now, Ben Sulayem has the power to judge ethics complaints against himself, which sets a worrying precedence for the organisation’s future governance.

There is a deepening divide developing between the FIA and Formula One and it is now hard to see this being repaired while Ben Sulayem remains in charge.