Up to 1,200 tonnes of equipment, roughly 3,000 to 5,000 people working at the event, and a proposed circuit with space for 100,000 spectators: those figures show the scale of the Formula 1 operation Rwanda is preparing to bring to Bugesera.
Under a 10-year agreement, the African Grand Prix is expected to begin in the early 2030s, returning Formula 1 to Africa for the first time since 1993.
The circuit will be built about 40 kilometres south of Kigali, beside the new international airport, linking the race to Rwanda’s wider ambition to attract visitors, businesses and international connections.
The freight alone makes this a military-grade logistics operation. DHL says up to 1,200 tonnes may be moved for a Grand Prix, including cars, engines, tyres, fuel, spare parts, garage tools, broadcast technology and hospitality equipment.
Race-critical items travel by air, while larger or less urgent loads can be transported by sea or road. Every shipment must be tracked, cleared and delivered in sequence so teams can assemble their garages and prepare the cars on schedule.
Rwanda’s event-specific freight plan has not yet been announced.
The current Formula 1 grid consists of 11 teams and 22 drivers, but the drivers are only a small part of the travelling workforce. A typical race operation involves roughly 3,000 to 5,000 people, including team crews, officials, broadcasters, medical and security staff, and local workers.
The FIA also found that each Grand Prix used an average of 838 volunteers in 2025, many serving as track marshals.
The Bugesera circuit has been reported to accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, although Rwanda has not yet released its expected attendance or ticketing plan.
Those crowds would create a significant travel surge, but the airport’s planned capacity of 14 million passengers a year does not mean Rwanda needs 14 million different visitors.
Airport figures count passenger journeys, including return trips and people connecting through the country. Bugesera is expected to open with capacity for about seven million passengers annually, with a second phase planned to raise that figure to 14 million by 2032.
The Grand Prix could bring a concentrated wave of visitors, while regular flights, tourism, business and conferences would need to support demand throughout the year.
Rwanda already has a growing events and tourism sector. In 2025, tourism generated $685 million from 1.49 million visitor arrivals, while the meetings and conferences sector brought in $94.7 million through 165 international and regional events.
The figures do not guarantee that Formula 1 will deliver a return on investment, but they show the broader travel economy Rwanda hopes to expand around the race.
The project also has a Qatar connection. Qatar Investment Authority acquired a 60% stake in the airport project from Qatar Airways in June 2026, while Qatar Airways remains Formula 1’s global airline partner.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport handled 52.7 million passengers in 2024, demonstrating the scale an established international hub can reach, though Rwanda’s market and circumstances are different.
From today, the work begins to coordinate the circuit, transport links, customs, accommodation, safety, medical response and crowd management.
The Grand Prix is expected in the early 2030s, but officials have not announced a construction start date.
The ambition is to connect the race, airport and visitor economy; whether that bet succeeds will be measured in lasting results, including local jobs, contracts for Rwandan businesses, returning visitors and flights that continue after the race.
