F1: "Just wrong" there is no Africa race as return prioritised

Formula 1

F1: "Just wrong" there is no Africa race as return prioritised

F1 last visited the continent in 1993

Ian Parkes

Thursday 25 February 2021 11:23

Formula 1 has made it a priority to stage a return in Africa after declaring it "just wrong" there is no race on the continent.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton stated last year he wanted to see F1 back in Africa that last staged a grand prix in 1993 at Kyalami in South Africa.

“I think bringing the attention back to Africa and really highlighting the beautiful place that it is, that’s the most important place we have to go to," said Hamilton.

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“It needs to be held where it’s not all about money. It’s about the people. In business, that’s not always the case. That's something I'm really pushing for."

A return has been mooted, with new F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently declaring talks are ongoing, with South Africa and Morocco potential destinations.

F1's global director of race promotion Chloe Targett-Adams has revealed that she is in 'complete agreement with Lewis', adding that "Africa is a continent that we don’t race in and that is just wrong".

Speaking at the BlackBook Motorsport Virtual Summit, Targett-Adams added: “It’s somewhere that we very much want to [go]. It's a priority.

"We’ve been in talks with possible options for a few years and we’re hoping that, ultimately, we will be able to achieve a race there in the near to mid-term.”

Targett-Adams has also revealed that "the US remains a clear strategic priority" as it seeks an additional race to the one currently in Austin, Texas.

Miami is on the cards but local opposition to an event around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, continues to throw a spanner in the works.

“We’ve got a great race in Austin now, and we look forward to working with our promoter there hopefully for more years to come," added Targett-Adams.

"Equally we’re looking at a second race opportunity, a destination location and looking to build up that US race proposition we have."

Unsurprisingly for F1, Targett-Adams has confirmed that Asia continues to be "a key priority", but recognises there is only so much space on the calendar, which is why the prospect of rotation appears to be gaining traction.

"We’re a global series," said Targett-Adams. "We’re fortunate that there’s a lot of interest.

“Equally, there are limited spaces on the calendar so that’s when we look at – without wanting to leave any of our cornerstones of the calendar behind or longer-term relationships – how we manage that opportunity of bringing on these new locations and being able to reach fans in those areas whilst also maintaining.

“Which is where the kind of alternation of existing circuits becomes quite an interesting concept. And working through that, Africa, US and Asia are where we’re wanting to target in terms of new races at this moment in time.”