Plans for a brand-new Formula 1 circuit in Rwanda are taking shape, featuring a staggering 197-metre elevation change that will dwarf iconic tracks like Spa. As Motorsport.com Italia reports, the ambitious project has a ten-year contract in place, though an exact debut season within the early years of the next decade has not yet been locked down while the entire area is built from scratch.
Positioned at roughly 1400 metres above sea level—second only to Mexico in altitude—the track will present unique technical hurdles. The thin air will reduce aerodynamic grip and challenge power unit cooling. To combat this, the layout heavily incorporates banking exceeding 12 percent and slopes reaching up to 15 percent, designed collaboratively by Tilke and Wurz Design.
“Dobbiamo tenere presente che ci troviamo a un'altitudine compresa tra i 1,300 e i 1,400 metri sul livello del mare,” noted the design team regarding the thin air and reduced downforce. “Possiamo però compensare in parte questo aspetto attraverso le pendenze del tracciato. In alcune curve superiamo il 12% di inclinazione.”
Built in the hilly Bugesera region next to a newly developing airport designed to handle five million travelers annually, the venue benefits from natural topography that makes the roller-coaster design feel organic. Carsten Tilke highlighted the fortunate landscape, noting that the terrain includes a lake and rolling hills that every circuit designer dreams of.
Measuring 6 kilometers in length with 17 corners, the track aims to balance high-speed sections with heavy braking zones. A one-kilometer straight followed by a slower uphill hairpin has been specifically engineered to encourage overtaking and spice up Sunday racing, alongside a series of fast, flowing sequences tested extensively in simulation.
