Fittipaldi: I'd love to see Kyalami back on F1 calendar

And that has not always been the case as the South African Grand Prix was once on the calendar. Emerson Fittipaldi gives us his experience.

From 1967 to 1993, Kyalami was the home of the South African Grand Prix. There’s always talk of the famous venue returning to the F1 calendar.

Fittipaldi, a two-time F1 World Champion and bonafide motor racing legend, wants to see the circuit make a return. The Brazilian raced 10 grands prix in Kyalami and shared his experience of racing in South Africa: “I was lucky to race in the South African Grand Prix for more than 10 years. It was a fantastic Grand Prix. Different environment. They love motor racing there at Kyalami.”

Fittipaldi also elucidated on the importance of Kyalami in F1’s history: "There’s so much history there. Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart raced there. All the monsters of F1, Danny Hume, Bruce McLaren, you name it. Jack Brabham, Graham Hill. This history has to come back.”

The motor racing legend also shared his view that with Formula E being successfully hosted in Cape Town recently, the time is ripe for F1 to return to South Africa: “They raced the Formula E last week in Cape Town and it was very successful.

"There is also going to be a Formula E race in Sao Paulo next week and I think it’s great for Brazil to have that for the first time. The sport is expanding and going back to Africa, yes I would love to see Kyalami back again," declared Emmo.

Fittipaldi put forward the growth of F1 in the Middle East. He sees it as a way to bring new fans to the sport and also a way to boost tourism: “Any country and population that we can get into racing is very important.

"The middle east is developing. I was in Dubai over Christmas and it has become very international. Saudi Arabia is open for tourism now and I think the weather is great for Europeans to visit as well. They even get a lot of tourists from Brazil.”

“There will be a Formula 1 flag on the map in the Middle East now and each country will create a new door for tourism that we didn’t even know was a possibility. They are very good as hospitality countries and they are great people who love us."

Fittipaldi also shared his impressions as an ex-driver and a figure associated with the sport. Emerson feels great to see more hype around the sport and how it has expanded all over the world.

“It’s very important that we attract new Formula 1 fans in new countries all over the world. Formula 1 is getting more and more popular, which is great. It’s great for us to have the possibility to visit more countries.”

“I’m an ex-driver and I love to see all the hype around Formula 1 on the television," concluded the Brazilian sporting icon.

While well intended to host a Grand Prix at Kyalami in the near future, the harsh reality is that South Africa has massive economic and infrastructure problems that cause lengthy daily blackouts and raise the question: Is the luxury of hosting F1 really a need for the country?

But, if the will is to have a Grand Prix in Africa to make the sport truly global, then Kyalami is best suited for F1 to return to the continent and most likely venue for the project should it come to fruition.