Inside plans for new F1 track around World Cup stadium as sport eyes return to country for first time in 32 years
PLANS for Formula One to return to South Africa for the first time in more than three decades are nearing a decisive decision.
F1 fans have long wanted the motorsport to return to Africa, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton one of the most vocal supporters of the move.
Talks over a return have been ongoing for years, but the South African government are now close to making a major decision on how they will make plans a reality.
One popular idea is to use the refurbished Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit located just north of Johannesberg, which hosted the country’s last F1 race back in 1993.
The other proposal would see the construction of a street race circuit running along Cape Town’s waterfront and past a 2010 World Cup semi-final stadium, known as Green Point Stadium.
Organisers for the Cape Town bid have detailed their latest changes to the Tilke-designed 5.7km circuit.
They hope the central, urban location of the track which will snake around the Green Point harbour and use facilities around the 64,000 capacity Cape Town stadium, will help to edge it across the line.
Cape Town GP CEO Igshaan Amlay highlighted the potential capacity of 250,000 visitors – the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone had a record 480,000 visitors – and the natural beauty around the circuit.
Amlay, who has been working on a project to bring F1 to Cape Town for over two decades, told Autosport: “The latest design has all the bells and whistles.
“It’s partly on the waterfront and it also uses the facilities that have been used for the football World Cup.
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“We meet all the requirements, with the airport 15 to 20 minutes away from the circuit; we’ve got a top hospital on site and plenty of hotels within walking distance.
“What also plays a big role is the natural backdrops of Robben Island, the waterfront and Table Mountain. Cape Town has a lot to offer as our top holiday destination.
“We’re up against Kyalami, which has a rich F1 history, so it’s a street race versus a purpose-built circuit.
“We’ll be waiting to see what the decision will be. Here we could easily accommodate 250,000 people, so it makes it more accessible to more people.”
A decision one way or another is set to be made at the end of April, though work still needs to be done to convince F1 bosses that a being given a spot on the calendar from 2028 would be worthwhile.
Bids from a number of other nations have also been heavily lobbied to F1 chiefs, with CEO Stefano Domenicali visiting Thailand over a proposed race there last month.
Previous proposals had seen the track run through the Cape Town Stadium.
But the latest plans will instead have it run next to ground, with the venue used as a paddock, media centre and hospitality centre.
Amlay added: “The purpose of running through the stadium was that it can take a capacity of up to 70,000 people and our intention was to make it accessible to people that can never afford to go to a F1 race.
“After speaking to the circuit’s designers, there are a few obstacles and it would be better to actually run along the circuit. DHL Stadium will be used for the paddocks and the media centre.
“Everything that was set up for the football World Cup will be reactivated, and it’s already existent within the stadium, so we will make full use of it.
“We will still run through the original Green Point athletics stadium, which has a rich legacy.”
He continued: “We’ve never shied away from any criticism. Whenever people criticised us, we looked at it seriously and made a few changes.
“When we pitched the idea in 2016, we had interest from various sponsors and investors. The big problem we had was we didn’t get the government’s backing.
“But now there is a big push, and we have a huge following from the younger generation, who have been following Formula 1 and have been supportive of it.
“We’ve come a long way since first envisaging the concept back in 1999, but we’ve always believed in it. If you believe in something and you persevere, then it will happen.”
The Cape Town stadium the track will run past hosted England during a World Cup group game against Algeria, before playing host to the semi-finals between Uruguay and the Netherlands.
South Africa’s last F1 race was won by four-time world champion Alain Prost after the Frenchman also took pole, with icon Ayrton Senna and Brit Mark Blundell completing the podium.