The South African F1 Grand Prix bid has taken a significant step forward as the sport’s commercial rights holder prepares to review the leading proposal. This advancement follows the South African Formula 1 Bid Steering Committee’s selection of the most viable candidate to promote a potential race in the country.
The bidding process initially received three submissions, one focusing on the prestigious Kyalami circuit, another proposing a Cape Town street race, and a third thought to be from former MotoGP promoter Bobby Hartslief. Although no official confirmation has been released, sources close to PlanetF1.com indicate that the Kyalami circuit bid is the preferred option.
Toby Venter, owner of the Kyalami circuit, has publicly expressed his readiness to upgrade the track to meet Formula 1’s Grade 1 standards if the sport confirms a race at the venue. The Formula 1 Bid Steering Committee called the development
“encouraging and bodes well for the country’s bid to host a Formula 1 race in future.”
Challenges and Controversies During the Bidding Process
The bid submission timeline was notably tight, giving interested parties just six weeks initially to secure funding and assemble their proposals. Each applicant was required to pay a R10 million (approximately USD 560,000) deposit to participate, a demand that sparked criticism, particularly from the Cape Town project team.
Igshaan Almay, CEO of the Cape Town Grand Prix South Africa project, described the process as flawed due to the unusually high deposit requirement, saying,
Cape Town Grand Prix sees this whole process as a flawed process, because firstly, nowhere in South Africa in the new democracy, has there been a request that you have to pay R10 million rand to bid to bring an event to the country,
as reported by Cape Argus.
He further criticized the timing, noting how the combination of the deposit and a submission deadline under 10 days did not reflect the complexity involved in bidding for a global sporting event.
Only after we pushed for an extension to encourage a fair process did an extension emerge.
Defending the deposit, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture argued that the fee was necessary to filter out non-serious bidders, noting that managing a multi-billion-rand project requires solid financial backing. The department stated,
Any bidder with the inability to raise such a deposit was simply likely to distract from truly credible bids in a space that would require the ability to manage funding in the region of billions.
The submission deadline was eventually extended to the end of March, allowing the shortlisted bidders additional preparation time.
Next Steps and Government Involvement in the Selection
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, confirmed that the steering committee has submitted its recommendation to the government, though this remains non-binding.
The department emphasized,
The Committee was expected to weigh up the proposals from the private sector to make a non-binding recommendation to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture on who may be best placed to promote and organise Formula 1 Grand Prix events in South Africa,
signaling that the decision will undergo further scrutiny.
Following the bidder selection, discussions with Formula 1 Management (F1 Group) will be initiated before involving other government entities. A statement from the department made it clear that,
Only once all the relevant approvals have been obtained will any announcement regarding any successful bidder be made,
ensuring no premature announcements occur.
Minister McKenzie added that the discussions remain in their early phases but expressed a cautiously optimistic outlook:
It must be emphasised that we are still in the negotiating and planning phase of returning Formula 1 to South Africa. On the face of it, the prospect of South Africa hosting such a race is very achievable, and we look forward to moving the discussion forward with the Formula 1 Group in coming weeks.
South Africa Positioned as Top Candidate for African F1 Return
South Africa has emerged as the strongest contender to host Formula 1 on the African continent after earlier attempts in Rwanda faltered. Other suggestions, such as races in Morocco promoted by former McLaren and French GP director Eric Boullier, are currently viewed as less viable options.
Kyalami last hosted a Formula 1 World Championship race in 1993, marking a potential homecoming should the bid succeed. Despite this progress, important doubts persist regarding the bid’s overall feasibility, funding, and logistical challenges.
The potential return of Formula 1 to South Africa carries significant symbolic and economic importance, likely to rekindle global interest in African motorsport. However, the final outcome hinges on negotiations with F1 Management and multiple government approvals, emphasizing a cautious and measured approach in the coming months.
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