F1 News: Former Ferrari Driver Backs Potential Grand Prix In Africa's Zanzibar

The autonomous region in Tanzania has pushed for a €500 million investment.

Former Renault and Ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella, has voiced support for the Formula 1 initiative in Zanzibar, Africa, following the recent expression of interest from the region to potentially host a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Key Takeaways:

• Giancarlo Fisichella, a former Renault and Ferrari driver, supports the Formula 1 initiative in Zanzibar, Africa, as the region expresses interest in hosting a Grand Prix.
• While there's interest from F1 in organizing a Grand Prix in Africa, challenges related to infrastructure and economic factors make it unlikely to happen soon, despite support from Lewis Hamilton.
• Fisichella is reportedly overseeing the technical aspects of a track in Zanzibar, supported by local government officials. The proposed track site is southwest of the island, with an allocated area of 2.5 square kilometers. The region secured a €500 million investment for the project, aiming to start construction by September 2025 and complete it by 2027. However, further investment would be needed to meet FIA Grade 1 standards.

F1 has shown interest in organizing a Grand Prix in Africa, the last one being held at Kyalami in 1993. While there's been talk of a comeback, and Lewis Hamilton is supportive of the idea, challenges related to infrastructure and economic factors make it unlikely to happen soon.

However, It's reported that Fisichella, a three-time Grand Prix winner, is overseeing the technical aspects of a track in Zanzibar, with support from members of the Zanzibar parliament and government officials.

The proposed track site is situated southwest of the island, off the Tanzanian coast in the Indian Ocean, near Dar es Salaam, with an allocated area of 2.5 square kilometers for construction. 

The good news is that the autonomous region in Tanzania secured an investment of €500 million from the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) in May 2023. The aim is for track construction to commence by September 2025, targeting completion by 2027. 

However, due to insufficient infrastructure on the Archipelago, additional investment would be necessary thereafter to develop the track to meet FIA Grade 1 standards. Consequently, it remains to be seen if Zanzibar will be able to host a Grand Prix as early as 2028.

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