Stefano Domenicali stated that negotiations for a possible return of Formula 1 to Africa are progressing positively. The category’s CEO also confirmed talks with other markets interested in hosting stages in the future.
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Africa has not hosted an F1 race since 1993, when Alain Prost won the South African GP in Kyalami for Williams. Since then, the championship has expanded its international presence and currently holds 24 stages on five continents, leaving Africa as the only inhabited continent outside the calendar for more than three decades.
“What I can say is that negotiations are going very well in Africa,” Domenicali said during a conversation with the international press. However, the executive did not disclose which country or circuit is leading the talks to host the category.
Besides the African project, Formula 1 maintains discussions with potential hosts in South America and the Far East. Domenicali also mentioned Portugal and Turkey among the locations that may appear in upcoming editions of the calendar. “Things are happening so quickly that, next year, we will have Portugal and Turkey again. We also maintain other talks in South America and the Far East,” he explained.
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The F1 CEO also revealed that there are different requests related to the markets of China and Japan. Despite the interest in expansion in Chinese territory, the category intends to preserve only one stage in the country for now.
“We have more requests in China and Japan, but at this moment, we want to stay with one race in China, because we need to consolidate the market more strongly before considering another option there,” Domenicali highlighted.
The statements show that F1 continues to evaluate new expansion fronts, although without confirming immediate changes. In the case of Africa, the executive presented an optimistic scenario for the negotiations but did not set a deadline for a possible race to be officially included in the calendar.
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