F1 in Rwanda: Why deal for race in Africa is also controversial

Formula 1 will return to Africa for the first time in a generation after Rwanda agreed a 10-year contract to stage a race, with the sport's governing body (FIA) keen to create a "lasting legacy".

The event - to be called the African Grand Prix - will be held on a new, purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, 25 miles south of the capital Kigali, with the first edition in the "early 2030s".

For Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the ambition is to "pave the way" for other F1 races on the continent.

However, the announcement has drawn criticism from some quarters amid allegations of sportswashing and questions around the East African country's human rights record.

Africa has not hosted an F1 race since 1993, and the clamour to return to the continent has been growing in recent years - with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton among those leading the calls.

Morocco was the first African nation to host a Grand Prix in 1958 and 23 races were then held in South Africa between 1962 and 1993.

President Kagame said it was "an honour and privilege" for Rwanda to be chosen for its return.

"This partnership is long overdue but it is a success and a milestone for the entire continent - especially for African fans," he added.

South Africa had been keen to secure its own F1 race, and sports minister Gayton McKenzie remains bullish about his country's hopes of emulating Rwanda.

"They have worked on it longer than SA and deserve it," he posted on X.

"Remember though that one country, Italy, has had two [F1 races] a year, and some react like a continent of [54] countries can only get one. SA will get F1, even before 2030."

Rwanda to host F1's first race in Africa since 1993

A 'landmark' moment - why has Rwanda been chosen to host F1?

The year of the first African Grand Prix in the 2030s, and its timing in the calendar, are yet to be announced.

F1 is likely to want to avoid holding the race in Rwanda's main rainy season of March to May, while there is a shorter, less disruptive, rainy season from October to November.

The sport is committed to keeping the season at no more than 24 races.

Former F1 driver Alex Wurz will be involved in the design of the circuit, which is due to use the undulating Rwandan landscape to produce a track with a natural flow and elevation changes of nearly 200m to challenge drivers.

Could the race boost African participation?

Jody Sheckter remains the only African to win the F1 Drivers' Championship, triumphing in 1979 with Ferrari.

"It's so expensive to get in," the South African told Newsday on the BBC World Service when discussing whether or not the race in Rwanda could open the door to more drivers from the continent.

"I built my own cars at the beginning. You can't do that anymore."

Africans hoping for a career in motorsport have previously had to chase their dream overseas, according to fellow driver Axcil Jefferies, who has previously competed in Formula 2.

But the Zimbabwean believes that could now change.

"F1 coming to Africa will highlight to everyone what a big industry motorsport is," he said.

"All the elements will inspire the youth, whether that's to come in as an engineer, as a mechanic, as drivers, as team coordinators."

South African presenter Kriya Gangiah, who hosts SuperSport's F1 Extra Africa Trackside podcast, is also hopeful of a boost in the number of female fans and drivers in Africa.

"The more you see something and the more that is present in your world, the more you take interest in it," she said.

"Being in paddocks in South Africa, you're seeing the amount of women that are making it into the sport and are actually doing really well. A lot of the girls are giving the guys a proper run for their money."

Allegations of sportswashing - hosting sporting events to improve a country's international reputation - have long been levelled against Rwanda.

Securing an F1 race is part of the country's wider strategy to increase tourism, international investment, services and entertainment.

The country has hosted the Basketball Africa League finals in all but one year since 2021 and staged cycling's World Road Championships last year, the first time the event had been held in Africa.

Visit Rwanda has either sponsored or had partnerships with Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain, although its sleeve sponsorship of the Gunners ended this year after drawing criticism from supporter groups.

Meanwhile, Rwanda's central African neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo, has filed a case against the country at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of breaching multiple international treaties covering genocide prevention, racial discrimination, women's rights and torture.

Human Rights Watch previously said that "the space for freedom of expression" and "political autonomy" is shrinking in the country.

"Rwanda is buying into the world's biggest sports to polish its image and deflect from its appalling human rights record," said Amnesty International UK's head of campaigns Felix Jakens.

"A 10-year Grand Prix 'presented by Visit Rwanda' is a sportswashing prize for the Rwandan authorities."

The Rwandan government has dismissed such accusations, with chief tourism officer Irene Murerwa calling them "a distraction' from the "amazing and outstanding achievements the country has made" when previously challenged by BBC Sport Africa.

"The benefits trickle down to every Rwandan," she said in December 2024. "Hosting F1 would be another step in our journey to becoming a world-class destination."

F1 is not blind to issues around sportswashing, with several countries on the calendar accused of utilising the strategy - not least Saudi Arabia.

F1's own charter commits it to "respecting internationally recognised human rights in its operations globally" and emphasises the importance of understanding and monitoring potential human rights impacts and engaging with stakeholders.

A statement in the context of the Rwandan announcement said: "We have the opportunity to inspire and bring the passion of F1 to 100 million people across Africa and sport can be a positive force for good."

However, it has still drawn criticism from human rights organisations, with Amnesty International's Jakens believing the organisation's words "ring hollow".

"It should use its influence with the Rwandan authorities to push for change, rather than lend its brand to a PR exercise," he said.

When asked about the sportswashing accusations levelled against Rwanda when it was bidding to host a race, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem told BBC Sport Africa: "When people cannot get what they want, they always blame it on sportswashing.

"I honestly don't care about what they say."