The South African Formula One Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1971.
Photographer: David Phipps/Sutton Images/Getty ImagesThe Long, Expensive Race to Bring F1 Back to Africa
It’s been more than 30 years since the last race on the continent.
Bob Hartslief used to own the Kyalami racetrack in Johannesburg, the venue for a Formula One Grand Prix in Africa more than 30 years ago. F1 has since morphed from a niche sport mostly popular with Europeans into a global phenomenon and a very big business. Liberty Media Corp. purchased the Formula One Group, the company behind the auto racing series, for $4.4 billion in 2017. In 2024, F1 revenue crossed $3.4 billion, and the races drew 1.6 billion TV viewers. Brad Pitt will help further amplify the F1 brand when he stars as a driver in a big-budget movie—titled simply F1—premiering this June. The series’ broadcast deal with ESPN, worth around $85 million a year and set to expire soon, is drawing interest from Amazon.com, Apple and Netflix.
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