Cape Town organisers fuming over ‘flawed’ SA F1 GP bid process

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It’s been quite a fortnight for the SA F1 GP bid. Initially, news was upbeat when the Kyalami GP Circuit’s upgrades were approved by the FIA. Described as ‘soft-touch’ enhancements by officials, all looked on track for a successful 2028 SA F1 GP bid.

Then reports emerged that Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie was jetting off to last weekend’s Austrian GP. His goal was to ratify the Kyalami SA F1 GP bid with Formula One Management (FOM) as soon as possible. However, there was made no mention made of a Cape Town Grand Prix South Africa (CTGPSA) bid being prepared in parallel.

SA F1 GP BID

A Cape Town Grand Prix would have followed the circuit that Formula E raced on successfully two years’ ago. Image: File

Now, CTGPSA officials are calling the SA F1 GP bid process ‘flawed’ and calling into question the Sports Minister’s conduct. Accused of favouring the Kyalami Circuit, CTGPSA CEO Igshaan Amlay has come out swinging, reports TopAuto.

Amlay envisaged a high-profile F1 race on a Herman Tilke-designed track in and around the streets of Cape Town’s DHL Stadium. The race would draw tourists from all over the world and the unrivalled beauty of the Atlantic seaboard would make for stunning TV coverage. However, with the Sports Minister suddenly jetting off to Austria to shore-up the Kyalami GP race in Gauteng, Amlay says he is entirely disillusioned with the SA F1 GP bid process.

R10-MILLION REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT

A Cape Town F1 race would have been more scenic for TV coverage and a more attractive tourist destination for international visitors. Image: File

Furthermore, Amlay explains that the SA F1 GP Bid Steering Committee (BSC) required a R10 million deposit for all applications to bring an event to the country. When he asked what the SA F1 GP bid money was for, the BSC gave no explanation or timeline other than it would be refunded if unsuccessful.

“Payment of R10 million to support an open SA F1 GP bid should not be the determining factor. We were given fewer than 10 days to submit our entire proposal, including the R10-million deposit. And we take issue with Gayton McKenzie’s remarks that a future F1 race would happen at Kyalami, well before the BSC was even created,” Amlay said.

INHERENTLY BIASED TOWARDS KYALAMI

1993 is the last time an F1 race was held in South Africa. Image: File

As a result, the CTGPSA CEO believes the entire SA F1 GP bid process was inherently biased towards the Kyalami Circuit from the start. In response to Amlay’s accusations, the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture has labelled them as ‘utterly baseless.’

Furthermore, the department says all submissions were judged fairly. “All bids were judged fairly and objectively by the BSC. And the minister was not a part of that process in any way. As such, CTGPSA’s allegations are utterly baseless,” the department said.

SOUTH AFRICA MUST REPLACE ANOTHER RACE

Kyalami GP Circuit owners and government officials await to hear FOM’s verdict on a future in Africa. Image: File

Interestingly, the sport’s supremo Stefano Domenicali recently confirmed that a successful 2028 SA F1 GP bid must replace an existing race. This is because the F1 race calendar cannot exceed the allotment of 24 races annually. Also, the FIA and FOM are looking for sustainable races.

As such, the sport does not want to come to a particular location for only one or two years and leave. Likewise, South Africa isn’t the only country looking to join the F1 calendar. Rwanda has been long talked about. And there’s an exciting new street race in Bangkok, Thailand.