WEC returns to South Africa - Formula 1 to follow?
via Twitter - David Perel
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
The WEC, the World Endurance Championship, has revealed its schedule for the 2020/2021 season, and apart from the many returning circuits, one track is making its comeback: Kyalami.
F1 history at Kyalami
Kyalami is located on the outskirts on the north of Johannesburg. It used to be a fixture on the F1 calendar in decades past, but the track's bendy nature gained a reputation for causing many accidents back in the '70s.
After the 1985 Grand Prix, Formula 1 left Kyalami off the calendar before making a brief comeback in 1992 and 1993 on a shortened version.
Since then, the circuit's state has worsened due to a lack of renovation and maintenance until it received recently. Now, the historic track is 'up to date' again with run-off areas and a brand-new paddock. South African politicians want more international races to be held at Kyalami again. They've successfully attracted the WEC - the 6 Hours of Kyalami will be held in early February of 2021.
The question now is: will Formula 1 follow suit? Liberty Media has previously stated they want to return to Africa, and when David Coulthard did a demo run in Cape Town earlier this year, rumours of a South African Grand Prix returning to F1 were strong.