Gayton McKenzie, South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, has outlined what will happen in the near future to ensure that the Grand Prix can be held in South Africa again.
"At the end of February, the Bid Committee should tell us the name of the promoter. Then we will agree it with the leadership of our country. After that, if everything is OK, we will apply to host a Formula 1 round. And if we are lucky, we will be able to host it already in 2026. But in general, we are aiming for 2027."
"What is very important for us is to make tickets affordable for ordinary people. But VIP tickets and VIP services will be very, very, very expensive. We are going to tax them to subsidize the entrance tickets for ordinary spectators."
"A lot of people talk about Rwanda. Why, when it comes to Africa, do they treat us as if we can only get one Grand Prix? There are seven in Europe."
"We are here (at the press conference) for two reasons. And the first is to pay tribute to Lewis Hamilton and thank him. For many years, he single-handedly supported racing in South Africa. Next year I will wear Ferrari [red]. I will give up Mercedes. I am following Lewis Hamilton. No one has ever fought harder for us to bring Formula 1 to African soil. Thank you Lewis Hamilton!"
"Lewis Hamilton, you have said that your dream is to race in South Africa again. I am here to tell you: we will not rest until your dream comes true and you are back racing in the South African Grand Prix."
The second reason was a statement by Kyalami Circuit owner Toby Venter. He said that the circuit is 90% ready to receive the Grade 1 status required to host a Grand Prix. According to him, 10% of the required upgrades will be carried out during 2025, and by 2026 the circuit will be certified.
"For those who say we won't be ready and we won't have the money for it, you'll be surprised to know that construction will start right after the holidays. Formula 1 is coming to South Africa: now's the time to be happy for us!"
