Stefano Domenicali stated that negotiations for a potential return of Formula 1 to Africa are progressing positively. The sport’s CEO also confirmed talks with other markets interested in hosting rounds in the future.
Africa has not hosted an F1 race since 1993, when Alain Prost won the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami for Williams. Since then, the championship has broadened its international footprint and currently contests 24 rounds on five continents, leaving Africa as the only inhabited continent outside the calendar for more than three decades.
“What I can say is that negotiations are progressing very well in Africa,” Domenicali said during a discussion with the international press. However, the executive did not say which country or circuit is leading the talks to host the category.
Beyond the African project, Formula 1 remains in discussions with potential hosts in South America and the Far East. Domenicali also cited Portugal and Turkey among the locations that could appear in upcoming editions of the calendar. “Things are moving so quickly that, next year, we will have Portugal and Turkey again. We also maintain other talks in South America and in the Far East,” he explained.
The F1 CEO also revealed that there are differing requests related to the China and Japan markets. Despite the interest in expanding into Chinese territory, the sport intends to keep only one race in the country for now.
“We have more requests in China and Japan, but at this moment we want to stay with one race in China, because we need to consolidate the market more strongly before considering another option there,” highlighted Domenicali.
The statements show that F1 continues to evaluate new expansion fronts, though without confirming immediate changes. In the case of Africa, the executive presented an optimistic scenario for the negotiations but did not set a timeline for when a potential race might be officially added to the calendar.
