FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem believes African countries should pay more attention to the development of motorsport, especially now that Formula 1 plans to return to the continent.
The last South African Grand Prix took place over thirty years ago, in March 1993, and attempts are now being made to revive the race, but so far they have been unsuccessful. In any case, there is not yet a single African stage among the 24 Grand Prix of the World Championship, even for 2025 the situation is completely uncertain in that regard.
“We have excellent contacts in Africa,” the FIA president said in an interview with Austrian publication Motorsport-Magazin. – Africa needs to pay more attention. We have a very good vice president there and we support local African car clubs. In some regions we are starting with the very first grassroots racing series – we even call such programs ‘out of the box’ motorsports. And you receive this “box” from the FIA, it contains the simplest equipment, including for organizing timing and telephones. And you can at least organize speed races.
But if we want African motorsport to develop, we cannot impose anything from above. I cannot give orders, the initiative must come from below and we must start at the grassroots.
But South Africa has a rich history of national motorsport and last year there was intense talk about the possible return of Formula 1 to the Kyalami circuit. This would be a very important event for Africa. We are also thinking of organizing an electric series that Africa could participate in, that would be fun too.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
