Formula 1 has signed a 10-year agreement for an African Grand Prix in Rwanda, with the first race planned once a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera is complete.
The championship announced the agreement on 13 October 2026. Formula 1 said construction is expected to support a first race in the early 2030s, but it did not publish a fixed inaugural date.
New circuit will target FIA Grade 1 approval
The planned venue is approximately 40 kilometres south of Kigali and next to the new Kigali International Airport. Formula 1 says the circuit will be developed to FIA Grade 1 standards as part of a wider project led by the Rwanda Development Board.
The announcement describes the track as a permanent facility designed around the area's elevation changes. It is also intended to operate outside Grand Prix weekends as a venue for motorsport, conferences, entertainment and other major events.
Those elements make the agreement a facility and host-market development as well as a calendar commitment. The project can create demand across circuit design, civil engineering, safety systems, timing, communications, temporary infrastructure, hospitality and event operations.
Commercial terms and opening milestones remain undisclosed
Formula 1 identified Visit Rwanda as presenting partner of the event and said the agreement runs for 10 years. It did not disclose the hosting fee, circuit budget, procurement schedule, promoter structure, construction contracts or the season in which the term will begin.
The company also presented estimates for Formula 1's African audience and described anticipated tourism, skills and investment benefits. Those are organiser claims and should not be treated as independently measured outcomes before the venue is built and the event operates.
The confirmed development is the long-term agreement and the plan for a new Grade 1 circuit. Further milestones, including design approval, construction progress and the inaugural race date, remain to be announced.
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