According to RacingNews365.com, Stefano Domenicali traveled to Johannesburg shortly after Sunday's race in Baku to arrange F1's return to the African country. The last time the category was in South Africa was in 1993
Formula 1's return to South Africa after 30 years could happen starting with the 2023 season. According to the Dutch website RacingNews365.com, CEO Stefano Domenicali traveled to Johannesburg right after the Azerbaijan GP to talk to SAGPC (South African Grand Prix Corporation) executives interested in bringing the race back to Kyalami.
If confirmed, the date would be set between March and April or between October and November - depending, therefore, on the future of the Belgian and French GPs. The two European stages have contracts until the end of this year, and there is much talk about the possibility of no renewals for 2023.
To RacingNews365.com, a source close to the negotiations explained that while the meeting was "positive and very productive," the agreement has not yet been signed because "the event needs to sustain itself," as the local government has offered full support, but ruled out funding from the South African tax office.
Among the investment options would be a separate tourism tax or some sort of tax structure, in which excess tax revenue would be accumulated in a fund for the staging of the race. Even then, SAGPC - which as CEO is the nephew of F1 world champion Jody Scheckter, Warren Scheckter - would need support from private companies.
In addition to Kyalami, there are other candidates in the country interested in hosting the elite of world motorsport, among them the capital Cape Town, which would have a race on a street circuit. Priority, however, would be given to the circuit that hosted F1 GPs from 1967 to 1985 and then in 1992 and 1993.
The main issue is that Kyalami would have to undergo a renovation to meet the requirements of the FIA (International Automobile Federation). Currently, the circuit has a grade 2 license, and the FIA requires that a circuit to host F1 be grade 1.
The deadline for definition is the month of August, when F1 must close the calendar for the next season. The expectation is that Kyalami could receive at least a stamp that would give it six months to prepare the necessary updates and include enough stands to accommodate up to 60,000 people during the event. If there is no definition for next year, the organization believes that 2024 would be possible.