{"id":53185,"date":"2025-06-18T16:05:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?p=53185"},"modified":"2025-06-18T16:05:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:05:37","slug":"south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/","title":{"rendered":"South African Grand Prix Makes Huge Step Towards Return As Kyalami Upgrades Approved"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The South African Grand Prix is one step closer to a return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In order to be allowed to host a Formula 1 World Championship event, circuits must be granted a Grade 1 status.<\/p>\n<p>But that obstacle has now been overcome as former fan favourite track Kyalami has seen plans to upgrade it approved by the FIA.<\/p>\n<p>Kyalami hosted F1 races from 1967-1985, as well as two in the 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>But there have been significant improvements and modifications since then.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, the track was renovated, turning it into a Grade 2 circuit.<\/p>\n<p>And now these latest upgrades planned have been approved to meet the FIA&#8217;s criteria for Grade 1 status.<\/p>\n<p>This means that we could see the South African Grand Prix returning to the calendar sooner than many expected.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OnThisDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OnThisDay<\/a> in 1968<\/p>\n<p>Jim Clark dominated the South African Grand Prix<\/p>\n<p>It was to be his 25th &#8211; and final <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#F1<\/a> victory <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hKtvEfnjUS\">pic.twitter.com\/hKtvEfnjUS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Formula 1 (@F1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/F1\/status\/815616581543727104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 1, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>South African Grand Prix Could Return After Grade 1 Upgrades<\/h2>\n<p>The planned upgrades will be delivered by UK-based Apex Circuit Design.<\/p>\n<p>Also behind the Miami Grand Prix circuit design, Apex&#8217;s plans for Kyalami are five years in the making.<\/p>\n<p>Kyalami circuit owner Toby Venter said:\u00a0\u201cThis is a defining moment for South African motorsport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we acquired Kyalami in 2014, we made a commitment to restore it, not just as a world-class venue, but as a beacon for motorsport across the African continent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FIA\u2019s acceptance of our Grade 1 design is a major step forward in that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The South African Grand Prix has taken another step closer to returning to the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#F1<\/a> calendar with the FIA approving plans for Kyalami to become a Grade 1 circuit:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zT8L5QL4Mr\">https:\/\/t.co\/zT8L5QL4Mr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Race (@wearetherace) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wearetherace\/status\/1935288037787017435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The changes won&#8217;t mean any alterations in circuit layout. Instead, the modifications will involve upgraded run-off areas, better drainage and kerbs, and improved barriers and safety fencing.<\/p>\n<p>Apex Circtui Design founder Clive Bowen said: &#8220;This is a light-touch upgrade in engineering terms, but one that enhances the already excellent circuit standards to meet modern Grade 1 requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kyalami now has up to three years to complete the proposed Grade 1 upgrades.<\/p>\n<p>In a press release, it was confirmed that work would be completed &#8220;pending the successful outcome of South Africa\u2019s place on the F1 calendar and Kyalami being selected as the preferred hosting venue.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>South African Grand Prix Might Be On 2027 F1 Calendar<\/h2>\n<p>A return to South Africa for F1 is something the country is very keen on.<\/p>\n<p>The South African Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture F1 Bid Steering Committee recently requested expressions of interest for a race.<\/p>\n<p>And discussions are now underway for potential venues, with Kyalami the favourite.<\/p>\n<p>There won&#8217;t be a South AFrican Grand Prix in 2026, we know that much.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s because the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/fans-react-as-f1-calendar-confirmed-for-2026-with-madrid-grand-prix-to-make-debut\/\"><strong>2026 F1 calendar<\/strong><\/a> has already been confirmed. But a possible 2027 return is not off the cards.<\/p>\n<h2>When Was The Last South African Grand Prix?<\/h2>\n<p>The Southa African Grand Prix took place at Kyalami from 1967-1985, as well as in both 1992 and 1993.<\/p>\n<p>That means it&#8217;s been 32 years since F1 last went racing in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>On that day, Frenchman Alain Prost won from pole position in his Williams-Renault.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_53194\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-53194\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-53194 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200-560x341.jpg\" alt=\"South African Grand Prix return\" width=\"560\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200-560x341.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200-924x562.jpg 924w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200-350x213.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200-1536x934.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/racefansdotnet-24-12-13-16-17-53-1-WillF10254-e1750262235200.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-53194\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alain Prost (right) won the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That would be the final F1 race at Kyalami, with the track removed from the calendar in 1994.<\/p>\n<p>The race proved too costly for organisers, who chose to scrap the event.<\/p>\n<p>Jody Scheckter remains the only South African to ever win their home race, with victory in 1975.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The South African Grand Prix is one step closer to a return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit. In order to be allowed to host a Formula 1 World Championship event, circuits must be granted a Grade 1 status. But that obstacle has now been overcome [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":53197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[892],"tags":[835,1538],"class_list":["post-53185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1","tag-formula-1","tag-south-african-grand-prix"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>South African Grand Prix Return Closer After Kyalami Upgrades<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The South African Grand Prix could soon return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South African Grand Prix Return Closer After Kyalami Upgrades\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The South African Grand Prix could soon return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sportscasting UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-18T16:05:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Chittick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/JChittickjourno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Chittick\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"James Chittick\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d0e183b7c6d7d9a4e9133ff6dfb2884c\"},\"headline\":\"South African Grand Prix Makes Huge Step Towards Return As Kyalami Upgrades Approved\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-18T16:05:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":574,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Formula 1\",\"South African Grand Prix\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Formula 1\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/\",\"name\":\"South African Grand Prix Return Closer After Kyalami Upgrades\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-18T16:05:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d0e183b7c6d7d9a4e9133ff6dfb2884c\"},\"description\":\"The South African Grand Prix could soon return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"South African Grand Prix\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"South African Grand Prix Makes Huge Step Towards Return As Kyalami Upgrades Approved\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sportscasting UK\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d0e183b7c6d7d9a4e9133ff6dfb2884c\",\"name\":\"James Chittick\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/67dd58eb8b76610ab4308e1bc4c7429674d7b7d5bb10e2fe6cf8b2bbbaae1997?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/67dd58eb8b76610ab4308e1bc4c7429674d7b7d5bb10e2fe6cf8b2bbbaae1997?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/67dd58eb8b76610ab4308e1bc4c7429674d7b7d5bb10e2fe6cf8b2bbbaae1997?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"James Chittick\"},\"description\":\"James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English &amp; Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital &amp; Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before joining Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/JChittickjourno\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/author\\\/jameschittick\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South African Grand Prix Return Closer After Kyalami Upgrades","description":"The South African Grand Prix could soon return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"South African Grand Prix Return Closer After Kyalami Upgrades","og_description":"The South African Grand Prix could soon return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/","og_site_name":"Sportscasting UK","article_published_time":"2025-06-18T16:05:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"James Chittick","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/x.com\/JChittickjourno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Chittick","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/"},"author":{"name":"James Chittick","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e183b7c6d7d9a4e9133ff6dfb2884c"},"headline":"South African Grand Prix Makes Huge Step Towards Return As Kyalami Upgrades Approved","datePublished":"2025-06-18T16:05:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/"},"wordCount":574,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg","keywords":["Formula 1","South African Grand Prix"],"articleSection":["Formula 1"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/","name":"South African Grand Prix Return Closer After Kyalami Upgrades","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-18T16:05:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e183b7c6d7d9a4e9133ff6dfb2884c"},"description":"The South African Grand Prix could soon return after the FIA approved upgrade plans that would turn Kyalami into a Grade 1 circuit.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/kyalami-track-f1-aerial.jpg","width":750,"height":500,"caption":"South African Grand Prix"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/south-african-grand-prix-makes-huge-step-towards-return-as-kyalami-upgrades-approved\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"South African Grand Prix Makes Huge Step Towards Return As Kyalami Upgrades Approved"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/","name":"Sportscasting UK","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e183b7c6d7d9a4e9133ff6dfb2884c","name":"James Chittick","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67dd58eb8b76610ab4308e1bc4c7429674d7b7d5bb10e2fe6cf8b2bbbaae1997?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67dd58eb8b76610ab4308e1bc4c7429674d7b7d5bb10e2fe6cf8b2bbbaae1997?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67dd58eb8b76610ab4308e1bc4c7429674d7b7d5bb10e2fe6cf8b2bbbaae1997?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"James Chittick"},"description":"James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English &amp; Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital &amp; Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before joining Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/x.com\/JChittickjourno"],"url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/author\/jameschittick\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53185"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53198,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185\/revisions\/53198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}