F1 Rwanda: race date, the Bugesera track and what it could look like

When is the first Rwanda Grand Prix?

In the early 2030s, but there is no exact date yet. The race will join the calendar once the circuit in Bugesera is finished. Formula 1 says the date of the first race, the construction milestones and the race weekend plans will follow later.

The agreement runs for 10 years. The official name is the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda: the race is named after the continent rather than the country, but it will be held in Rwanda. It will be F1's first race in Africa since 1993.

Where is the Rwanda F1 track, and who is designing it?

In Bugesera, in the east of Rwanda: about 40 km south of the capital, Kigali, next to the new Kigali International Airport. It will be built from scratch, specifically for the Grand Prix. Two firms are designing it together: WurzDesign, run by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz, and Tilke Engineers and Architects, who have designed several circuits, including Sepang in Malaysia.

What else has been officially announced:

• the circuit will be built to FIA Grade 1, the FIA's top circuit category;
• the layout will make use of the elevation changes in the landscape: Rwanda is known as the Land of a Thousand Hills;
• the venue will be used all year round, for motorsport, major events, conferences and entertainment;
• the circuit is part of a wider sport, tourism, infrastructure and commercial project led by the Rwanda Development Board.

Is there a Rwanda F1 track layout?

Not a final one: the designers are still working on it. On the day of the announcement Formula 1 released a single image, the first render, captioned as an idea of how the circuit might look. As of 13 October 2026 the circuit's name, lap length and number of corners have not been announced.

In the image the circuit sits beside a lake. Grandstands with wave-shaped roofs line the main straight, a white cone-shaped tower rises above the paddock, and pavilions with round roofs stand on the shore.

What could the Rwanda track look like in 3D?

In our 3D concept of the Rwanda circuit, built from the Formula 1 image, the main straight runs past the grandstands and downhill towards the lake. Turn 1 is a hairpin under the bridge, followed by the lakeside esses, the far hairpin and an uphill back straight. The start, the pits and the cone tower are on the main straight.

The concept includes the terrain, the lake and a sunset over Bugesera, and you can fly around the track or drive a lap onboard.

Why Rwanda?

Rwanda has already hosted major international events, and by Formula 1's figures Africa has more than 100 million F1 fans. Formula 1's announcement lists the events Rwanda has hosted:

• the UCI Road World Championships;
• the ICC Women's Challenge Trophy in cricket;
• the 2023 FIFA Congress;
• the Basketball Africa League;
• the 2024 FIA General Assemblies and the FIA Awards ceremony.

On 13 December 2024 the FIA General Assemblies were held in Africa for the first time, in Kigali. Opening them, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame announced that the country was bidding to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix and thanked Formula 1 for the progress in the talks. That evening Kigali hosted the FIA Awards, the first time they had been held on the African continent. Max Verstappen received the world champion's trophy for the fourth year in a row, and McLaren collected the Constructors' trophy, the team's first since 1998.

By Formula 1's figures, almost 60% of fans in key markets south of the Sahara are under 35. Stefano Domenicali, F1's President and CEO, said the number of fans in Africa is growing rapidly, and that with Rwanda the championship will race on every inhabited continent. Before the announcement, Lewis Hamilton said he had long been pushing for a race in Africa, and George Russell pointed out that Africa was the only inhabited continent without F1.

Where has F1 raced in Africa before?

In Morocco and South Africa. From 1958 to 1993 Africa hosted 24 World Championship races on three circuits, twenty of them at Kyalami.

The first was the Moroccan race on 19 October 1958, the season finale in Casablanca. Stirling Moss won for Vanwall, but second place gave Mike Hawthorn the 1958 title: 42 points to Moss's 41. The championship was decided in South Africa twice more. In 1962 at East London, Graham Hill won the finale, taking the title and the Constructors' Championship for BRM. In 1983 at Kyalami, Nelson Piquet finished third and became champion.

The most wins in Africa: three each for Jim Clark and Niki Lauda. Among the teams, Ferrari and Lotus lead with four wins each.

Between 1986 and 1991 there were no World Championship races in Africa. When F1 returned to Kyalami in 1992, the lap had changed: about 4.1 km with nine corners in 1967–1985, 4.261 km with 13 corners in 1992–1993. F1 last raced in Africa on 14 March 1993: the South African Grand Prix opened the season, and Alain Prost won from pole for Williams, with Ayrton Senna second.

Has there been a world champion from Africa?

Yes, one: Jody Scheckter of South Africa, champion in 1979 with Ferrari. He was born in East London, where the South African Grand Prix was held in the 1960s. Of his 10 Grand Prix wins, one came at home: Kyalami in 1975 with Tyrrell, from third on the grid. For champions from other countries, see F1 champions by country.

How many races will there be once Rwanda joins?

Unknown. Under the FIA's 2026 regulations a season can have no more than 24 rounds, and the calendar for the early 2030s has not been announced as of 13 October 2026. For how the number of races has changed and where the limit comes from, see how many races there are in an F1 season; this season's races are in the 2026 calendar.