With the Formula 1 calendar expanding to a record breaking 23 races in 2023, there will be races all around the globe from many different regions.
Japan and Singapore will feature on the calendar as part of the Asian side of F1, Brazil and Mexico will be part of the South American final run-in, with the presence of Europe, the USA and Middle East continues to be important.
One part of the world which is absent once again from F1’s schedule is Africa, with no Grand Prix in this continent planned in the coming year.
Formula 1 has not travelled to Africa since 1993, when the last South African Grand Prix at Kyalami Circuit took place, leaving Max Verstappen to believe that F1 should return to the continent in the near future.
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“I think we still need a race in Africa,” he told The Drive.
“We are basically on every other continent, so I do think that that’s the next step for Formula 1. We have history there because of South Africa, for example.
“It would be a great addition.”
Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly expressed his support for Formula 1 holding a race in Africa.
The 2023 calendar was originally supposed to feature 24 races and after the Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled due to COVID concerns, South Africa was one of the races rumoured to be a candidate the be a replacement.
In the end, F1 decided not to replace the Chinese Grand Prix, taking the season total down to 23 races.
It has been suggested that F1 has not returned to Africa because financially it does not warrant a place on the grid over other venues.
The number of races in the USA has increased to three this season as a result of Liberty Media being the owners of the sport and F1 growing in popularity in the United States significantly in recent years.
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Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi also all feature on the grid because of the financial magnitude of the F1 project in the Middle East, making it a very appealing part of the world for the sport to travel to.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has admitted that Kyalami was one of the races considered for the 2023 calendar and has not ruled out a return to the track in 2024.
The Italian has however confirmed that should Africa return to the sport in the near future, it would need to be on a multi-year contract rather than being just a one-off race.