Formula 1 has been experiencing a process of excessive expansion in recent seasons, with the arrival of grand prix in places with little tradition such as Las Vegas, Qatar or Saudi Arabia .
The Great Circus has not hidden in its intention to increase the calendar to 25 weekends, the maximum stipulated by the Concord Agreement signed by the ten teams in the 2020 season. The president of the highest category of motorsport, Stefano Domenicali , came to recognize that the interest was such that they could host up to 30 tests if they wanted, so it will be common to see more and more races.
The sport has a global condition, since it contests tests in all the inhabited continents of the planet, except one. Formula 1 also wants to visit Africa in the future, and it would not be the first time, since the legendary Kyalami track was the star of 20 editions of the South African Grand Prix.
His last time with the fastest single-seaters in the world was in 1993 , when Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna fought for victory in the wet.
Some inside the paddock would welcome the entry of this track on the calendar, such as Lewis Hamilton, who has long defended its return for different reasons.
At the end of last season, the seven-time champion said that “the place that he loved in his heart and that would be the most important lap of a race” belonged to South Africa.
The Mercedes driver added that “there are a huge number of fans” there, and that it would be “great to show how beautiful the motherland is”, but the track in the south of the continent might not be the only one to land on the calendar.
Currently, Africa does not have any FIA-certified circuit to host a Formula 1 event, although it would not be too difficult to achieve the certificate. In this location there are two tracks with grade 2 of the international federation, one is the Automobile Moulay El Haasan, in Morocco, and the Kyalami itself in South Africa, which was renewed in 2015.
“It would be important for the sport to go there. If we race in the rest of the continents, why would Africa be an exception?” Lewis Hamilton defended recently. “After Las Vegas, I would love for the South African race to be next.”
“At the end of the day, my ancestors are from there, so it’s important to me that we race there,” the Briton told RacingNews356.com .
