Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali arrived in South Africa on Monday to discuss staging a race there next year, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Domenicali is expected to meet with representatives of the Kyalami circuit, located near Johannesburg, with the aim of reaching an agreement for a South African race to be added to the 2023 calendar. No final agreement has yet been reached, said the source, but the plan is to have a South African Grand Prix next year.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity, as details of Domenicali’s trip have not been publicly announced. The CEO traveled to South Africa after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.
South Africa last hosted an F1 race in 1993. Africa is the only continent outside of Antarctica that does not have a race on the current calendar.
If South Africa is added, it would be the second new race for 2023, with Las Vegas already set to join the calendar next year.
The South African Grand Prix was held for 25 years, from 1960 to 1985 – mainly at Kyalami – before F1 left South Africa due to the apartheid regime. He returned for two races at Kyalami, in 1992 and 1993, after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.
A return to South Africa has been on F1’s radar for some time, and a South African consortium attempted to stage a race at a road circuit in Cape Town 10 years ago. Kyalami is seen as a much more certain bet for F1 due to its history of hosting the South African Grand Prix.