F1 urged by DR Congo to end talks with ‘blood-stained’ Rwanda over hosting race

Rwandan president Paul Kagame announced last December that the country is bidding to host an F1 grand prix. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has urged Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to end talks with Rwanda over hosting a grand prix in the future. Rwandan president Paul Kagame announced last December, while the east African country hosted the FIA end-of-season awards gala, that Rwanda is bidding to host an F1 race as the sport eyes a return to the African continent for the first time since 1993. South Africa are also keen on a return to the calendar.

Yet in a letter seen by The Independent, the DRC’s minister for foreign affairs Therese Kayiwamva Wagner has asked Domenicali to “end negotiations and rule Rwanda out as a potential host.”. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks in eastern Congo between the DRC army and M23 rebels, with around 2,900 killed since early January, according to United Nations (UN) figures. Fighting in the mineral-rich region has been ongoing since 2022, with over 400,000 people displaced.

Rwanda has been accused by Congo and the UN of supporting M23 with troops and weapons as well as benefiting from mineral wealth that is being smuggled into the country. Rwanda denies this, insisting they simply want to defend their border. The DRC added that F1 should not look to smear its own brand “by a blood-stained association with Rwanda.”. An F1 spokesperson stated on Wednesday that they were “monitoring” the situation.

"We have been closely monitoring the developments relating to the DRC and Rwanda and continue to do so,” the spokesperson said. “We have received requests from multiple locations around the world that wish to host a future Formula 1 race. "We assess any potential request in detail and any future decisions would be based on the full information and what is in the best interests of our sport and our values.".

In the letter, Kayikwamba Wagner asks Domenicali: "Does F1 really want its brand smeared by a blood-stained association with Rwanda?. "Is this really the best country to represent Africa in global motorsport?". Rwanda are looking at building a state-of-the-art track close to their new Bugesera airport in the capital city of Kigali. Former F1 driver Alex Wurz has been tasked with designing the circuit. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has previously stated that “Rwanda is the best place” for F1 to return to Africa.

Yet South Africa are also eyeing a return, perhaps as soon as 2027, with Kyalami (which hosted the last South African GP in 1993) and Cape Town mooted as possible venues. Kayikwamba Wagner goes on to say that the DRC would “wholeheartedly support” a South African bid to host a race. She writes: “It would be a fitting (and easy) decision to make; South African soldiers, on peacekeeping duties in my country, have been killed by the very regime you seek to do business with.