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Jody Scheckter, the 1979 F1 world champion, stated that the long-awaited South African Grand Prix at Kyalami had a chance of returning to the race calendar. But, according to him, it couldn't happen because of the 'greed' of the authorities.
It has been 30 years since the last South African Grand Prix was held in Formula 1, in 1993. Though there have been speculations about its return, nothing has been officially announced for a long time.
However, as Jody Scheckter revealed, F1 came extremely close to signing a deal for the Kyalami circuit. He knows this as he claims to have been an 'inside part of it', and his nephew had been working on the same for many years.
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He told Total Motorsport what he claims to have transpired:
"It was that close. The guy from Kyalami went from 500,000 to 2 million, and he wanted to take the whole thing over."
"F1 came over to sign. He had got government backing, some of the wealthiest people in South Africa behind it. Everything was in place, and the guy from Kyalami got greedy."
He believes that there are chances in the future for a possible return of the track, but everything is uncertain for now.
"Just as soon as F1 left, he changed the whole thing completely. The government realised there was a fight and withdrew, and that was the end. Maybe it’ll happen back here again. I don’t know."
Scheckter reveals his nephew's disappointment as his efforts went to waste of having F1 in South Africa
Formula 1 had a good chance of returning to South Africa, it is thought by many. After the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix in the 2022 season, it was initially thought that the sport might return to the continent of Africa, but sadly, that didn't happen. Jody Scheckter spoke about the disappointment his nephew faced.
As mentioned above, they had been working on the project for 6 years, but it ultimately failed.
"My nephew had been working on it for six years, nearly full-time. Because going [through the] government and getting [their support] and for them all to agree to put some budget in and then to secure the money. It takes a massive amount [of effort]."
"All of a sudden, it was over, and he was left with nothing."
While it still remains a dream to have the South African GP back on the grid, there are many other countries who are willing to host F1 races. With there being 3 US GPs, a debate has been there about giving other countries a chance too.
