{"id":29200,"date":"2025-09-15T17:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=29200"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:51:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:51:07","slug":"f1-grand-prix-south-africa-gears-up-to-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/f1-grand-prix-south-africa-gears-up-to-host\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Grand Prix: South Africa Gears Up to Host"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South Africa\u2019s long-awaited return to the Formula One (F1) calendar is edging closer. Private investors pledged to fund the estimated R2.1 billion licensing fee should the country secure the rights to host the event from 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bids officially closed on Monday, and Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie confirmed that South Africa had submitted a comprehensive proposal to Formula One Management (FOM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sa-confident-in-its-bid\">SA Confident in Its Bid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe F1 asked for 10 things, and we gave them 15. We are ready,\u201d McKenzie told <em>The Sunday Times<\/em>. \u201cUnlike other African countries bidding, we already have a track, sponsors, and the funding secured.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The minister explained that he had approached 203 chief executives in the private sector to rally support. Seven major companies are stepping forward, including a bank, a telecoms firm, and a hospitality and gaming group. Each investor committed a minimum of R100 million. However, their identities will only be revealed if South Africa secures the hosting rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-681944535\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-private-sector-foots-the-bill\">Private Sector Foots the Bill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting F1 requires a minimum three-year agreement with FOM, costing around $40 million (R700 million) annually. Over three years, this adds up to roughly R2.1 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa, while backing the bid, made it clear that taxpayers would not shoulder the cost. \u201cDon\u2019t even come to me,\u201d McKenzie quoted the president as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-boost-for-sa-s-global-image\">A Boost for SA\u2019s Global Image<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said earlier this month that private sector backing for the bid underscored international confidence in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe opportunity to host Formula One will create jobs, boost economic growth, and strengthen South Africa\u2019s standing on the world stage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">[WATCH] Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says Cabinet has approved SA bid to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Kyalami in Johannesburg for three years, starting in 2027. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Vu5yZI1SxL\">pic.twitter.com\/Vu5yZI1SxL<\/a><\/p>&mdash; SABC News (@SABCNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SABCNews\/status\/1963938358867980604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">September 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-848278770\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-kyalami-in-pole-position\">Kyalami in Pole Position<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, which last hosted an F1 race in 1993, is the frontrunner to stage the event. The Johannesburg-based track has a rich history. This includes past winners such as Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Jim Clark, and South Africa\u2019s own 1979 world champion, Jody Scheckter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>British firm Apex Circuit Design was commissioned last year to prepare upgrade plans for Kyalami to meet the FIA\u2019s Grade 1 requirements. In June, owner Toby Venter confirmed that the FIA had approved the proposed improvement. It will cost between R90 million and R180 million and could be completed within three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-continental-competition\">Continental Competition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While Kyalami remains the most likely venue, rival bids are expected from Cape Town and the proposed Wakanda Smart City project, while Rwanda has also declared interest in bringing F1 to Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If successful, South Africa will join the global F1 calendar from 2027, reuniting fans with one of the most prestigious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.co.za\/motoring\/south-africa-ready-host-f1-grand-prix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">motorsport<\/a> events after a 34-year absence. For many local enthusiasts, it would mean more than just avoiding late-night TV broadcasts it would be the return of world-class racing to home soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/formula-one-grand-prix-set-to-comeback-sa\/\">Formula One Grand Prix Set to Make a Comeback to Kyalami After 30 Years<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa\u2019s long-awaited return to the Formula One (F1) calendar is edging closer. Private investors pledged to fund the estimated R2.1 billion licensing fee should the country secure the rights to host the event from 2027. Bids officially closed on Monday, and Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie confirmed that South Africa had<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"South Africa\u2019s long-awaited return to the Formula One (F1) calendar is edging closer. Private investors pledged to fund the estimated R2.1 billion licensing...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[11108],"class_list":{"0":"post-29200","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-latest-sports-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29200"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29252,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29200\/revisions\/29252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}