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Opinion

Which classic F1 circuits would fit the modern formula?

OPINION: Formula 1 will have to do without the return of one classic venue in the form of Kyalami for at least one more year, but the prospect of a tantalising return for a past favourite has got us thinking: which classic venues would work on a modern F1 calendar?

It's no secret that Formula 1 had been clamouring for a return to South Africa. Ever since the nation and its flagship Kyalami circuit dropped off the calendar at the end of 1993, there have been periodic efforts throughout those 30 years to secure a return. Bernie Ecclestone was particularly keen to get Kyalami onto the 1999 calendar, even opening talks with then-president Nelson Mandela to earn the government's financial support.

Those efforts never quite paid off, and the more contemporary efforts to ensure each global continent was represented on the world championship calendar got far closer. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali's talks with South African Grand Prix organisers for a 2023 return ultimately subsided and instead the at-risk Belgian Grand Prix earned a year's reprieve; discussions over 2024 yielded the same result. It's understood that F1 wanted to afford the event organisers more time to put stable foundations in place, largely to ensure Kyalami could remain on the calendar as a longer-term prospect.

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