Formula One Closing in on return to South Africa

Formula One could soon be returning to Africa for the first time since 1993, with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and Anthony Hamilton, father of reigning champ Lewis in discussions to bring F1 back to the continent.

Last month Ecclestone confirmed he was 'trying to do something in South Africa' as Africa is currently the only inhabitable continent without a Grand Prix. Hamilton Sr, formerly Lewis' agent, has been working on a plan to bring F1 back to Africa for around a year now. The pair are hoping to have a plan in place for a Grand Prix to be staged in Cape Town in 2016, and Bernie claims there's a 'good chance' it'll happen.

"I've been looking to go back to South Africa for a long time." Ecclestone said. "They're getting on with it, we're hoping to be back in 2016." he added. However the boss also added that he'll 'have to see how we get on.'

The last race to be held in Africa was the 1993 curtain opener, in Kyalami, the race as won by Alain Prost and he remains the last man to have won an African Grand Prix. Africa has a rich history in Formula One, with one world champion hailing from South Africa, 1979 champ Jody Scheckter, who was born in East London, which held Grand Prix events in 1962, 1963 and 1965.

After an absence in 1966, F1 moved to Kyalami, 20 miles from Johannesburg for 1967 and remained there until 1980. It returned from 1982 to 1985 before one more stint in 1992 and 1993. The race was mainly a curtain raiser to the season and if it were to make a return, would it replace the current opener in Melbourne.

With Azerbijan also making an appearance on the 2016 calendar there are a potential 22 races for next season. This isn't including races at India and Korea, which have been dropped in recent seasons. This could prove a problem as F1 is logistically and physically tiring and could cause problems, especially with the financial troubles which have dogged the sport this season.

Below are the 2015 races and their continent, which shows F1 is still favourably European, but is branching out to other continents, which means a race in Africa would be monumental.