Author Archives: PressBox

Formula 1 will return to Africa for the first time since 1993 under a 10-year deal that will see Rwanda host a new Grand Prix, with the race expected to join the calendar in the early 2030s. Formula 1 has not yet decided where the event will fit in the schedule, which remains capped at 24 races a year.

The race will be held on a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, about 40 kilometers south of Kigali and next to the under-construction Bugesera International Airport. The track will be completed to FIA Grade 1 standards and designed by former driver Alex Wurz and his company. Formula 1 said the circuit will use Bugesera’s hilly landscape and elevation changes to create a fast, challenging track.

The agreement was announced in Kigali by Paul Kagame, Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem. President Kagame said the race would bring jobs, skills, tourism and business. Domenicali called the deal “a landmark moment for the sport’s return to every inhabited continent.” The event is presented by Visit Rwanda and is part of a wider sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development led by the Rwanda Development Board, with goals that include long-term economic, social and motorsport benefits, support for local talent and a lasting legacy.

Fernando Alonso said his Honda turbo was broken before the Singapore Grand Prix and had to be replaced, but Honda said the turbo unit was not broken and was changed because of Alonso’s feedback. Shintaro Orihara said Honda had not found any problem in its data and that the team would conduct a deeper investigation at its Sakura base before the United States Grand Prix. Orihara also said, “the driver is the best sensor.”

Aston Martin changed components on both cars before qualifying in Singapore, and the pre-qualifying changes sent Alonso and Lance Stroll to the pit lane to start the race. Alonso later said his car lacked power, and he said energy deployment problems cost him positions, especially after virtual safety cars.

Alonso finished 16th in Singapore after starting from the pit lane with a new power unit.

McLaren’s recent slide from race-winning pace to clearly fourth-best over the last three races has raised pressure on the team to find a deeper fix for its Formula 1 car. Across Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore, McLaren scored 33 points and risked being overtaken by Red Bull for third place in the constructors’ championship. Team principal Andrea Stella said the car needs something more fundamental than added downforce, citing weakness in low-speed corners, on corner entry and on the straights. Lando Norris said the car is too difficult to drive and a long way off.

The struggles were on display again in Singapore, where Norris finished fourth and Oscar Piastri finished fifth. Norris said McLaren was clearly the fourth-fastest team, and both drivers said the team still lacked the pace shown by Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. Piastri said McLaren are not quick enough and need a significant step forward to fight for podiums and wins.

McLaren said the slump also reflected circumstances and driver mistakes, including a fuel-system issue for Norris, along with poor tire and strategy calls and a lack of raw speed. Norris apologized after admitting impatience in battles with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, while Piastri recovered from a slow puncture and passed Hamilton on the penultimate lap to finish fifth. McLaren expects an aerodynamic upgrade at the Austin Grand Prix, is planning further updates for 2026 and is targeting a deeper fix for the 2027 MCL41.

George Russell’s Singapore Grand Prix weekend was derailed by a mounting set of grid penalties tied to Mercedes engine and component changes, leaving him to start 19th and then recover to ninth at Marina Bay. Mercedes fitted a fourth energy store and a fourth control electronics unit to his car, both beyond the season allocation for those parts, and the new sanction added to a previous 40-place penalty from engine changes after a failure at the previous round in Malaysia. Russell’s total grid drop for Singapore was 60 places.

Russell called the weekend “the story of the season” after crashing out of the lead in Saturday’s Sprint and then trying to salvage points in the race. He said he made good progress early on Sunday, but a Virtual Safety Car ended just as he was pitting, costing him time. He was unable to get past Nico Hülkenberg in the fight for eighth place.

Russell said Mercedes need to improve the car and work out why recent updates have not stopped Red Bull from setting the pace. He also said another engine-related penalty may come later in the season, possibly in Las Vegas, after saying Austin on Oct. 25 had been his preferred option for serving the penalty. Russell is second in the standings, 102 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli with six rounds left, and Antonelli will have his first chance to clinch the championship in Austin before a likely title seal ahead of Las Vegas.