Formula 1 has announced a 10-year agreement to host the African Grand Prix in Rwanda, marking the sport's return to Africa for the first time since 1993.
The race will take place at a new circuit to be built in Bugesera, about 40 km south of the capital, Kigali, alongside Kigali International Airport.
Rwanda, a small landlocked nation with just over 14 million people, currently lacks a racetrack capable of hosting F1.
The circuit will be co-designed by former racer Alexander Wurz and track designer Carsten Tilke, who has worked on many current F1 tracks.
It will feature 17 corners and deliver the highest elevation gain of any track currently used by F1, according to the announcement.
Wurz said he has already driven the track extensively on the simulator to ensure it suits the highest form of open-wheeled motorsport.
African Grand Prix Scheduled for Early 2030s
F1 has not set a firm date for the African Grand Prix, stating only that it will be added to the calendar in the "early 2030s."
The sport may be hedging its bets, as seen with Vietnam, which was supposed to join in 2020 but was dropped after a key stakeholder was arrested on corruption charges.
F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali called the announcement a landmark moment, noting that with Rwanda joining, the sport will race in every inhabited continent.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been a vocal supporter of an African race, saying earlier this year that he had been pushing for it for "six years, maybe seven."
Hamilton even suggested he could delay his retirement to race in Africa.
