What Time is F1 Qualifying Today In South Africa?

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What Time is F1 Qualifying Today In South Africa?

The South African Grand Prix

The South African Grand Prix was held for the first time in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit in East London, Cape Province, as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap competition. Leading European racers like Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard “Dick” Seaman, Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, and 1939 champion Luigi Villoresi were among those who attended. The competition came to a halt during World War II, but it was reintroduced in 1960 as a component of the Formula One circuit and added to the World Championship schedule two years later.

It was a well-liked F1 race, but the country’s apartheid stance caused the Grand Prix to be suspended immediately following the contentious 1985 race. After apartheid was abolished in 1991, the race was reinstated to the Formula One calendar in 1992 and 1993. As of 2022, the South African Grand Prix was last held in 1993.

How And Where The Grand Prix Started

The Prince George Circuit, a 24.4 km (15.2 mi) road course that passed through several populous regions of the coastal city of East London, served as the site of the first South African Grand Prix. In 1936, this was cut down to 17.7 kilometers (11.0 mi). The Prince George Circuit was the name of the permanent track that was built in 1959 when racing returned after World War II. On December 29, 1962, the first Formula One World Championship race in South Africa took place. Graham Hill won that race and the title by taking advantage of Jim Clark’s Lotus’ technical issues. The race was also conducted at Prince George in 1963, 1965, and 1966, with the latter reduced to non-champion status due to the implementation of a new 3-litre formula on that same day. The South African Grand Prix was added to the official Formula One calendar in 1967, and the race was relocated to the Kyalami track near the high-altitude inland metropolis of Johannesburg in the Transvaal.

The Brief Return Of The Grand Prix (Formula One)

Formula One returned to Kyalami for two Grands Prix in 1992 and 1993 following the end of apartheid in 1991. Mansell dominated the 1992 race, and Prost, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher engaged in a fierce competition in the 1993 race, which Prost ultimately won. The South African Automobile Association purchased Kyalami in July 1993, and they were able to operate it profitably. However, hosting a Formula One race proved too expensive; thus, the Grand Prix did not retake the place. Jody Scheckter, a South African driver, was the only one to win the South African Grand Prix in 1975. Jim Clark, a British driver, won it four times, and Lauda, an Austrian, won it three times.

The Possibility Of A Return To South Africa

The South African and Adrian Scholtz, CEO of Motorsport South Africa, spoke about the potential of South Africa returning to the Formula One Grand Prix schedule in April 2018. The biggest challenges, according to him, are the exorbitant costs of holding such an event and the fact that, although Kyalami comes near, no South African circuit currently satisfies the FIA’s qualifications to host a Formula One race. News of negotiations between Formula 1 and the South African Grand Prix’s return in 2023 surfaced in September 2021.