South Africa has escalated its push to bring Formula 1 back to the African continent for the first time since 1993, with sports minister Gayton McKenzie confirming that President Cyril Ramaphosa will personally attend a grand prix later in 2026 as part of a working diplomatic offensive aimed at Liberty Media.
McKenzie made the announcement on 6 May, framing the visit as a state-level escalation of a bid that has been bubbling for nearly three years.
"His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa has agreed to join me at a Formula 1 Grand Prix later this year," McKenzie said. "This is a working visit, not a social one."
The sports minister was unambiguous about the purpose of the trip. "The President's visit will allow us to observe, engage and strengthen our case," he said.
McKenzie then leaned into the generational argument, which has been central to South Africa's bid since Liberty signalled openness to an African return. "An entire generation of young African motorsport enthusiasts has never seen a Formula 1 race in their own backyard," he said. "We intend to change that."
The target circuit is Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, which last hosted a championship grand prix in 1993 and has already received FIA approval for a Grade 1 status upgrade. The track has been quietly preparing for an F1 return for the better part of a decade, and a successful audit removes one of the more straightforward technical objections to a deal.
What remains is geopolitics. South Africa is not bidding alone. Rwanda has been openly courting Liberty since 2023, with President Paul Kagame deploying a similar head-of-state strategy and pitching a purpose-built circuit. Morocco's bid is more recent, but it leverages established North African motorsport infrastructure and easier European access. Stefano Domenicali, F1's chief executive, has welcomed all three approaches without committing to any of them — and he has been careful to manage expectations on timing.
In previous remarks Domenicali has confirmed that discussions with multiple African candidates are ongoing, although he has warned a deal is unlikely in the immediate future. The 2026 calendar, already squeezed by the loss of two Middle East rounds and ongoing Spain restructuring, leaves little room for a slot before 2027 at the earliest.
That is part of why the Ramaphosa visit matters. It is less about closing a deal in 2026 and more about ensuring that when Liberty does choose between South Africa, Rwanda and Morocco, the South African bid sits on the table with a presidential signature beside it. McKenzie's government has already committed financial backing to underwrite race hosting fees, but a head-of-state appearance signals that Pretoria is willing to put political capital behind the project as well as cash.
For Liberty, the calculation is broader than any single bid. F1's African return is being marketed as a moral and commercial inevitability — a market of more than a billion people with no race on the calendar — but the choice of host nation will set the tone for what kind of F1 Africa gets. South Africa offers heritage and a proven circuit. Rwanda offers a clean slate and an aggressive sponsor pipeline. Morocco offers proximity to European logistics.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/south-africa-f1-return-ramaphosa-mckenzie-kyalami-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
