Buckle Up! Formula 1 Might Come To South Africa
The Red Bull Showrun left Johannesburg buzzing with excitement on 6 October 2024. In fact, participating athletes hinted to a Formula 1 (F1) South Africa Grand Prix in the future.
In essence, the showrun was a spectacular display of motorsport in all its glory. Stunting, spinning, drifting and racing graced the streets of Sandton in a display of exhilaration.
The star of the show was the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB7, one of the most dominant F1 cars in history. Bringing the legendary vehicle to South Africa is what some people saw as a glimmer of hope. Perhaps even the planting of a seed…
The Stars Of The Show
British F1 legend, David Coulthard, zoomed the RB7 up and down Katherine Street in Sandton on the day. This was undoubtedly the climax of the afternoon. Coulthard was preceded by Lithuanian KTM motorbike stunt rider, Arūnas “Aras” Gibieža. He stood atop his two-wheeler in a blood-rushing showmanship. Thereafter, local spinning sensation, Samkeliso “Sam Sam” Thubane and his crew of drivers wowed the crowd. With burning tyres, broken taillights and fearless stuntmen, the crowd was left reeling after their adrenaline-producing display.
Finally, German drifting sensation, Elias Hountondji represented one half of the Red Bull Driftbrothers. In a series of show-stopping stunts that seemed impossible until done, he never seized to amaze the audience.
Then, it was time for thirteen-time Grand Prix winner, David Coulthard, to take centre stage. The RB7 was the winner of the 2011 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship. The RB7 even performed the South African National Anthem in a series of revs! Eventually, it honed its 750-horsepower engine to speeding along the 750-metre track. Producing over 100 decibels of sound, any late-sleepers in Sandton were woken up by a very unique alarm clock.
The Showrun As A Test Run For Formula 1
South Africa has a massive motorsport fan-base with 20 000 spectators coming together in the blistering heat to show their support. The days leading up to the showrun were filled with excitement. Not to mention the actual day of the showrun. And, the days after were filled with hope.
David Coulthard said he very much hopes F1 will come to South Africa. He believes that “to be a true world champion, you have to race on all continents, and Africa is the only one missing.”
Current F1 sensation for Mercedes and seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton agrees. He says: “We can’t be adding races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa.”
South African Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says: “F1 is definitely coming. F1 told us they’re keen to come, they told us what they will need to come and we are going to give them what they need to come.”
Now, the debate is around which province will be hosting the sporting event. The favourite to receive the tender is Joburg, which has an existing Grade 2 circuit. At the same time, Cape Town and Durban are both willing to upgrade their existing circuits or even construct circuits from scratch.
Hamilton says he knows “there is at least one track that’s ready. In short term, we should just get on that track and have that part of the calendar, and then work on building out something really cool.”
What Formula 1 Would Mean For South Africa
A F1 Grand Prix is not just a sporting event. It’s a tourist attraction too. Consequently, in all the countries where a Grand Prix is hosted, there is a surge in international visitors.
Coulthard said: “We see in every country we go, there are people that fly in from other countries who are fans of the sport, not only curious to see the Grand Prix, but also go to that country and discover it.”
Whilst hosting a Grand Prix at a F1 level is a huge cost, Coulthard sees it as more of an investment. He says the cost is “returned multiple times because you grow your tourism community” too.
Hamilton also thinks having a Grand Prix in Africa will highlight how great the continent is, while also bringing in tourism.
So, South Africa might just claim a spot on international F1 followers and travellers’ radars. Wouldn’t this be great for our social, economic and political standpoints?
Whilst there is no definite “yes” to F1 coming to South Africa, the Kyalami track in Joburg is looking more and more promising. With a few tweaks here and there, Johannesburg’s circuit might just welcome a F1 Grand Prix very soon.
