Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daniel Roodt
Published on 2024-02-28 10:34:54
The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit on 14 March 1993 marked the opening race of the Formula 1 World Championship. It was the second year since F1’s return to South Africa after the country’s isolation due to apartheid policies. The absence of reigning world champion Nigel Mansell, who had left F1 to race in IndyCar in the US, meant that there was no defending champion on the grid for the first time since 1974.
The race was filled with drama as some of the sport’s most famous drivers, including Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher, faced off in front of an expectant Johannesburg crowd. Only seven drivers were awarded a final classification, with the rest of the grid retiring at various points throughout the race. Of the seven who finished, only the top two drivers completed the entire 72 laps. Victory was awarded to Williams’s Prost, with his former teammate Senna and Ligier’s Mark Blundell completing the podium.
Despite the thrilling on-track action, this was the last time F1, or any other single-seater world championship race, took place in South Africa for the next 30 years, until Formula E raced in Cape Town in 2023. The high costs associated with hosting a Grand Prix ultimately prevented F1 from returning to Kyalami in the following years. The track was sold in 1993, and the new owners were unable to host a Formula 1 race at a profit, leading to the scrapping of the South African Grand Prix.
The decision to withdraw South Africa from the F1 calendar marked the end of an iconic period of racing in the country that began in 1934 in East London. The first South African Grand Prix was hosted at East London’s Prince George Circuit in 1934 before shifting to the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in 1967. Kyalami remained the official location of the South African Grand Prix until it was removed from the calendar in 1994 due to international pressure and sanctions against the apartheid regime.
After more than two decades, talks began to bring a world championship race back to South Africa, culminating in the 2023 Formula E Cape Town E-Prix. The race proved to be a fan favourite, with the grandstands selling out before the event. Antonio Felix da Costa took the win, ahead of Jean-Éric Vergne and Nick Cassidy. South African-born Jaguar TCS team principal James Barclay emphasized the importance of bringing world championship motorsport back to South Africa to inspire future generations and grow the motorsport industry in the country.
Plans are underway to make Formula E a regular destination on the South African racing calendar, with initiatives in place to ensure the future sustainability of the event. The goal is to continue hosting the Cape Town race annually, with the intent to be racing again in February 2025. The aim is to provide South African motorsport fans with world-class racing on their doorsteps for years to come.
Read the original article on Daily Maverick
