The race to bring Formula 1 to South Africa has hit a stumbling block amid allegations of bias towards Kyalami as the preferred host venue.
Speaking to Cape Argus , Igshaan Amlay , CEO of Cape Town Grand Prix South Africa CTGPSA, raised concerns about the bidding process, accusing Minister of Sport , Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie of favouring Kyalamis Johannesburg-based bid over Cape Towns.
Cape Town Grand Prix sees this as a flawed process, Amlay said, questioning the R10 million refundable deposit required to submit a bid.
The deposit, required by the local F1 Bid Steering Committee BSC, has been a particular point of contention. According to Amlay, when CTGPSA queried the terms, the only response received was that the deposit is refundable but no clear timeline for repayment was provided.
Payment of a deposit of R10 million to support an open bid submission should not be the determining factor as to whether a bid is considered or not, particularly when it does not make any changes to the economics of a bid, Amlay argued.