Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton supports Rwanda as a Formula 1 venue
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is an autocrat who rules his country with a hard hand
© Lee Jin-man / DPA
Formula 1 wants to return to Africa. Rwanda is an autocratically ruled country. Human rights activists are critical of the plans, but Lewis Hamilton is not.
“We want to go to Africa, but we need the right investment and the right strategic plan,” Formula 1 managing director Stefano Domenicali told “motorsport.com” months ago. You have to “wait for the right time and make sure that the country, the region and the continent” are ready for it. But it became clear to Domenicali during the first conversations: “You are serious.”
Lewis Hamilton promotes Rwanda
Formula 1, with its current 24 stages, is booming. Organizers pay high double-digit million sums to be able to host a Grand Prix. Despite all the expansion in recent years, Africa has remained a blank spot for the racing series. The last race was in South Africa in 1993.
And now soon in Rwanda, where the gross national income per inhabitant is less than 1000 euros and the majority of the population lives from agriculture? “It is time for Africa to be included in the Formula 1 calendar,” said Rwandan Automobile Club President Christian Gakwaya. “Rwanda offers an ideal opportunity for the return of Formula 1 to Africa.”
That would also be entirely in the spirit of record world champion Lewis Hamilton, the only black Formula 1 driver. “Rwanda is one of my favorite countries I’ve been to,” said the Brit recently. The future Ferrari driver repeatedly assures that the time is “100 percent” ripe for a Grand Prix in Africa.
World association FIA celebrates in Kigali
The Formula 1 management announced further discussions with the makers of the Rwanda project. “They presented a good plan,” Domenicali said. President Kagame, who has ruled the country since 2000, has been seen in the Formula 1 paddock from time to time in the past. Most recently he took part in the night race in Singapore.
“Rwanda is one of my favorite countries”: Lewis Hamilton wants to return to Africa with Formula 1
© Vincent Thian / DPA
Fittingly, the annual ceremony of the world motorsport association honoring the Formula 1 world champion takes place in December in Rwanda’s capital Kigali. However, Kagame has not yet officially commented on the Formula 1 plans. Without him nothing works in the country.
Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa and at the same time one of the most densely populated. The economy is growing considerably and, in contrast to neighboring countries, corruption is hardly widespread – a reason for many investors, including those from Germany, to settle in Rwanda.
However, human rights activists continue to assess the situation in the country very critically. “Arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture in official and unofficial detention facilities are commonplace,” writes Human Rights Watch. Government opponents are persecuted, and other people are also exposed to mistreatment.
FC Bayern promotes tourism in Rwanda
Some fan groups at FC Bayern were therefore critical of the partnership between Munich and the country’s sports ministry that was concluded last year. The cooperation is scheduled to run for five years; the tourism campaign “Visit Rwanda” will be advertised at every Bundesliga home game of the record champions. In return, Bayern want to support the development of structures in youth football in Rwanda.
Rwanda had previously entered into similar partnerships with Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain. The Cycling World Championships will take place in Rwanda in 2025. In the long term, there is even talk of World Cup soccer games and an Olympic bid.
“Our interest in Formula 1 is in line with the national strategy of using sport as a lever for economic change,” explained automobile club boss Gakwaya. Rwanda wants to continue to position itself “as a first-class destination for sports and entertainment”. Like Malaysia or Saudi Arabia once did.
Tourists want to see mountain gorillas
Tourists currently come mainly because of the mountain gorillas in the volcanic mountains. However, Rwanda became known worldwide because of a tragedy: During the genocide of radical members of the Hutu ethnic group against the Tutsi and moderate Hutus in 1994, around 800,000 people were often brutally murdered within 100 days. 30 years later, the country is trying to look forward.
A race track is still missing. Formula 1 is said to be a key element in helping Rwanda advance infrastructure projects. One is the new international airport in Kigali, scheduled for completion in 2028. Qatar Airways is a 60 percent shareholder and also one of the main sponsors of Formula 1. The world can be that small.
But will Rwanda actually make it onto the Formula 1 map? There are still plenty of hurdles. One of these would be a race track suitable for Formula 1. Because they don’t exist in the “land of a thousand hills”.