Government confirms support as Kyalami F1 bid takes next step

The South African government has announced its endorsement of a project aiming at luring Formula 1 back to the nation.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Mtshavheni announced on Friday that the government’s preferred project was that submitted by CEO of the Kyalami 9 Hours Tom Pearson-Adams.

Kyalami F1 project to receive government endorsement

The project, one of three submitted for consideration by a government-appointed Bid Steering Committee earlier this year, intends to host an event at Kyalami.

In June, it announced that the FIA had approved plans to upgrade the venue to Grade 1 standards, should its quest to attract F1 be successful.

PlanetF1.com revealed in July that Kyalami was the preferred submission, with a meeting having since taken place between officials from the proposed event and Formula One Management.

It’s understood serious doubts surround the effort which does not boast any government backing.

Friday’s announcement drew further light to that point, with Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stating that: “The bid is fully financially supported by the reputable South African private sector and, if successful, will contribute to job creation and economic development.”

A lack of government money is understood to be a significant drawback, though not an outright deal-breaker, with Formula One Management keen to ensure events have direct state involvement.

That the Kyalami project has been nominated by the government as its preferred option does not carry any additional weight, and is certainly no guarantee that F1 will soon be visiting South Africa.

In reality, it is little more than a point in its favour over the three other projects attempting to lure F1 to South Africa. It highlights the disjointed nature, not to mention conflicting motives, rife within the country – elements that count against all four projects.

It’s also not helped by concerns surrounding the process which led to Kyamali being selected as the preferred bidder.

“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,” Igshaan Almay, CEO of the Cape Town Grand Prix South Africa project, told the Cape Argus newspaper.

“A payment of a deposit of R10 million to support an open bid submission should not be the determining factor as to whether a bid is considered or not, particularly when it does not make any changes to the economics of a bid.

“Then, when the bid document was put out, we were given fewer than 10 days to submit our entire proposal, including a R10 million deposit – a bid to host a major global sporting event.

“Only after we pushed for an extension to encourage a fair process did an extension emerge.”

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The bidding process was opened by Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie.

“Hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix would boost our economy, tourism and development while showcasing South Africa as a premier global sporting destination,” he said when the process was extended in January.

“This extension ensures bidders have the time to prepare exceptional proposals.

“The Ministry urges stakeholders to use this opportunity to support South Africa’s Formula 1 ambitions.”

Though Africa is high on F1’s list of desired locations for a new event, PlanetF1.com understands there are a number of other projects that are far more advanced.

Thailand is expected to join the calendar in time for 2028, with the government there spending heavily to land an event in Bangkok.

There’s also strong interest from Portugal, while Turkey has also been flagged as a possibility. In Italy, officials in Imola are keen to see F1 return, potentially as the other half to Belgium’s rotational event from 2027.

The F1 calendar is limited to just 24 events, with precious few opportunities for new events in the coming years. The existing Spanish GP is poised to disappear, though could return as a rotational event, while Azerbaijan will hold the penultimate race under its current agreement next weekend. The United States GP is also out of contract after next year’s event, though the Austin race is expected to be renewed in the near future.

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