Formula 1 announces return to Africa with Grand Prix in Rwanda in early 2030s | KMIT 105.9 FM

Formula 1 announced it will return to Africa with a Grand Prix in Rwanda starting in the early 2030s, ending a roughly 40-year absence from the continent. The African Grand Prix will be held on a purpose-built track in Bugesera, southeast of Kigali, under a 10-year contract. F1 said the circuit will be ready “early in the next decade” and will be built near an airport under construction, designed to work with the natural landscape using hills and dips. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame called the partnership “long overdue,” saying it could benefit sports infrastructure and tourism. The deal also raises the possibility of scrutiny over Rwanda’s human rights record, following criticism that the country uses sport to improve its image. Critics have accused Rwanda of “sportswashing,” the AP report said, though details of further allegations were cut off in the provided text.