Kyalami F1 deal still not sealed as second FIA visit gets underway

South Africa’s much speculated return to the Formula 1 calendar is expected to come under careful scrutiny with a reported visit today (19 July) by a secondary delegation from the FIA.

Set to be the second round of talks following last month’s high level stopover by F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, racingnews365.com reports that F1’s Head of Vehicle of Performance, Craig Wilson, Sporting Director Steve Nielsen and Principal Engineer Richard Springett will conduct an oversight of the facilities at Kyalami to ascertain the granting of an FIA Grade 1 certification needed to host Formula 1.

At present, the track holds a Grade 2 rating, which allows for the hosting of all FIA and non-FIA sanctioned events, bar Formula 1 due to requiring of certain fundamentals on and off the track.

According to the online publication, these include replacing some 50 000 square metres of gravel traps with tarred run-off areas, re-profiling some of the corners and increasing the size of the pit garages.

ALSO READ: F1: Apparent Kyalami 2023 return provides more confusion than clarity

Also deemed an issue is the size of the team hospitality area at the back of the garages and reportedly, the location of the medical helipad that will have to be relocated in order to avoid attracting in-depth details from television cameras and/or the media.

Citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the upgrades, racingnews365.com states that the alterations could cost between $4 million and $6 million, which, while not insurmountable, is facing time constraints in response to their implementation versus the desire to host the race in April next year.

At the same time, unconfirmed rumours of a contract having been signed to host Formula 1 at Kyalami for the next five years have proved inaccurate according to not only SA Grand Prix Ltd, but also Motorsport South Africa (MSA).

“While all parties are in [verbal] agreement and are pushing hard to get a deal together, no legally binding agreements have yet been signed,” MSA Chairman Anton Roux was quoted by racingnews365.com as saying.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of fake news about the event. Indeed, in true South African fashion fake tickets are already on sale! We are hopeful of finalising matters within weeks and making a subsequent announcement.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that F1 logistics partner, DHL, has signed-up as the event’s sponsor until 2028, an allegation that was vehemently denied soon after.

Kyalami’s inclusion on the provisional 2023 Formula 1 calendar has also become a topic of speculation following its surprise absence based on screengrabs posted by the F1 Paddock Insider Twitter page last week.

ALSO READ: Tickets for Formula One event at Kyalami would probably cost more than R5k each- expert

In addition, the racingnews365.com report states that no governmental backing is being sought allegedly as a result of government’s disinterest in supporting the event.

Until an announcement is made outright by Kyalami, the FIA or Formula 1, expect more rumours and unsubstantiated claims to become apparent over the coming weeks and months.