Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has hinted that an official announcement regarding the championship’s long-awaited return to Africa is imminent.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast alongside co-host Will Buxton, Coulthard teased that he believes an announcement confirming the addition to the calendar is coming soon.Â
While reflecting on the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, both Coulthard and Buxton backed the idea of the Sepang International Circuit returning to the F1 calendar. But with Portugal and Turkey included for 2027 and the rumoured announcement of Africa’s return, the former Red Bull driver struggled to see where it would fit into the 24-race schedule.
“Portimao has got a couple of years. Great track for the drivers. We went there, I think, under COVID, so we didn’t have an issue with spectators. We’re curious to know how many people will turn up there,” Coulthard said.
“I’m hearing rumours that we’ll have an announcement for Africa soon. So, we’re going to be going to Africa.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told the media in August 2026 that “negotiations are progressing very well” for the potential return of a grand prix in Africa.Â
“I think what I can say is that negotiations are progressing very well in Africa,” Domenicali said. “Next year, we are back again in Portugal, back again in Turkey, and we are having other discussions with [countries] in South America; we have discussions in the Far East.
Nigel Mansell, Williams leads at the start
Photo by: Pascal Rondeau / Getty Images
“One thing I can tell you is that we have more requests [for a second race] in China and Japan, but for the moment, we want to stay with one race in China because we need to consolidate the market more strongly before thinking about having other options there.”Â
F1 has not raced in Africa since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has been fighting for F1 to include Africa on its calendar again for some time now.
“For the past six years, maybe seven, I’ve been fighting in the background to get a grand prix … sitting with stakeholders and asking the question: ‘Why are we not in Africa?’,” he said ahead of the 2026 season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without getting to race there, so I’m chasing them. They’re setting certain dates, I’m like: ‘Damn, I could be running out of time’, so I’m going to be here for a while until that happens. That would be amazing, given that I’m half African. There’s one on every other continent, why not Africa? I know they’re really trying.”
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