A private group of South African business leaders wants to build a R6.7 billion Formula 1 circuit in the Swartland, about an hour north of Cape Town, and bring Grand Prix racing back to the country for the first time since 1993. The plan is bold, the money is said to be private, and the target is 2031. But nothing is decided yet. Here is what we know.
The plan: a Grand Prix circuit in the Swartland
The project is called Blue Mountain Racing. According to Forbes Africa, the group is led by mining executive Neal Froneman, alongside mining veteran Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, corporate lawyer Robert Appelbaum and motorsport promoter Bob Hartslief, who promoted Formula 1 races at Kyalami in the 1980s.
The group has secured a 600-hectare site in the Swartland, roughly 50 km north of Cape Town. Reports differ on whether the land has been bought outright or is held under an option. The planned circuit is about 4.8 km long, with a straight of at least a kilometre and room for about 125,000 spectators a day, The Race reports. Around it would sit a full motorsport precinct with hospitality, conference and exhibition space. The quoted budget is about $400 million, or R6.7 billion, funded privately.
When could it happen?
The group’s own timeline is long. Building would start in 2029 if Formula 1 shows firm interest, the track would be certified in 2030, and the first Grand Prix would follow in 2031. The group also hopes to attract MotoGP.
Hartslief himself is candid about the odds. “We’ve still got a mountain to climb to make it happen in South Africa,” he told Eyewitness News.
What is confirmed, and what is not
- Confirmed: the consortium exists, the people behind it are named, a site has been secured and the plans have been made public.
- Not confirmed: Formula 1 has not awarded South Africa a race. There is no signed agreement, and the circuit exists only as land and concept drawings.
- Government: the group describes a meeting with Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie as positive. In 2025, according to reports, the government named a Kyalami-led bid as its preferred South African proposal.
The competition for Africa’s Grand Prix
Africa is the only inhabited continent without a Formula 1 race, and F1 has said it wants to change that. Chief executive Stefano Domenicali has said negotiations in Africa are “progressing very well”. But South Africa is not the only candidate. Rwanda, Morocco and Nigeria are all reported to be in the running, and Kyalami’s owner is also pursuing a return to the calendar. A Cape Town street circuit around Green Point has been proposed in the past as well.
The Race also notes the hurdles. Formula 1 receives dozens of bids every year, and a brand-new promoter with no track yet faces a much higher bar than an established one.
Why it matters for Cape Town and the Western Cape
A Grand Prix brings tens of thousands of visitors, global television coverage and a week of hospitality, tourism and events business. Formula 1’s own requirements for a host are demanding, and Forbes Africa lists some of them: a major airport within about 30 minutes, thousands of hotel rooms nearby and the ability to move huge crowds in and out quickly. For the Western Cape, which hosts SiGMA Africa in Cape Town in February 2027, it would be a major addition to the events calendar.
Our view
This is the most detailed private bid South Africa has seen in years, and the people behind it are serious names. But until Formula 1 puts a South African race on its calendar, it remains a plan, not a date. We will keep following it.
Sources: Forbes Africa, 1 October 2026; The Race, 30 September 2026; Eyewitness News, 25 September 2026.
