Critical next step in South African F1 GP process expected July 1

South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie has announced he will confirm the chosen promoter as the country bids for a spot on the Formula 1 calendar.

After that, it’s “all in the hands” of Formula 1.

‘After that, it is all in the hands of Formula 1’

South Africa’s Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture McKenzie formally introduced the Formula 1 Bid Steering Committee in December as he stated that his term as South Africa’s Sports Minister would “be a failure” if he didn’t bring F1 to South Africa.

Months later, he’s yet to confirm which of the three bidders, reportedly Cape Town, Kyalami, and a yet-to-be-built circuit near the Fisantekraal airport, had won.

The deadline for the submissions was in March with McKenzie’s department saying a decision would be made by the end of April 2025.

Kyalami has since emerged as the favourite after circuit owner Toby Venter revealed the circuit had been given the green light by the FIA to implement design proposals to bring the circuit up to an FIA Grade 1 facility.

That, though, does not guarantee Formula 1 will head to Kyalami, or even that the circuit is South Africa’s preferred bidder.

That will only be announced next month after McKenzie meets with Formula One Management at the Red Bull Ring this week.

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“We are going to meet them again [FOM] to hand in our bid officially in Austria,” he told radio station, 5fm.

He added to eNCA: “The week after that, on July 1, we will announce our winning promoter. After that, it is all in the hands of Formula 1.

“We will have a circuit, we will have a promoter, and we will have the biggest motorsport community in Africa.”

South Africa last hosted a Formula 1 race in 1993 before finances and politics saw the race pulled from the calendar.

Both of those, says experienced South African motorsport journalist Hendrik Verwoerd, remain issues today.

“They’re talking about investing between five and 10 million dollars. That’s a huge amount of money if you turn it into rands,” Verwoerd told East Coast radio.

“It’s a huge boost for tourism and for other businesses around the event. So it does have a huge economic impact and the government can do an economic impact assessment.

“In most cases, it makes a lot of sense for the governments of those various countries to do that.

“The question is whether the government is willing to make that kind of payment and try to convince people that it makes a lot of economic sense.”

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