Morocco's huge F1 project promises a mini Abu Dhabi with hotels, marina, and race track

Morocco wants to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix inspired by another GP, which would also become the first Grand Prix in Africa since the 1990s.

But Morocco wants to take the whole idea one giant step further.

As part of its bid, the country teased a huge project involving a race track, but also a marina and hotels, among other things.

Kind of like the Abu Dhabi GP.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

The last Grand Prix in Africa was the South African Grand Prix, held on March 14, 1993, at the Kyalami circuit.

To this day, this is the last Formula 1 race to take place in Africa.

With few exceptions – the Australian GP springs to mind – Formula 1 has always been a European-centric competition.

That changed in the 1990s and 2000s, with the addition of a lot new GPs that are now a key part of the calendar.

They include Abu Dhabi, regularly attended by celebrities like Brad Pitt – who, by the way, actually recognized Supercar Blondie when they were both there.

And Morocco is indeed taking a leaf out of Abu Dhabi’s book, because the proposed project for the next Formula 1 race track draws inspiration from the UAE GP.

The country in North Africa advanced its bid to host a Formula 1 race at a $1.2 billion motorsport complex near Tangier.

The complex will include circuits suitable for F1 but also WEC and MotoGP.

But, crucially, it will also feature a theme park, shopping mall, hotels, and even a marina.

The idea is to create something that can be used as a year-round tourism hub, exactly like the Yas Marina race track in Abu Dhabi.

Formula 1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed talks with three countries to host a Grand Prix in Africa.

Aside from Morocco and South Africa, which incidentally are the only two countries where Formula 1 Grand Prix have been held in the past, Domenicali also mentioned Rwanda.

Morocco last hosted F1 in 1958 at Casablanca, and Sir Stirling Moss won that GP.

Morocco’s potential F1 return could threaten other races because these things aren’t set in stone.

F1 execs would obviously prefer to keep the iconic Formula 1 Grand Prix in the calendar. But a lot of European race tracks have had issues in recent years, usually due to bureaucratic and financial reasons.

The list of European GPs that were discontinued due to financial issues includes Germany, both Nürburgring and Hockenheimring, Valencia, France’s Magny-Cours, Portugal’s Estoril and Portimão, and the list goes on.

Barcelona is now at risk, because the contract expires in 2026, and Barcelona, like Monza, will have to make its bid quite compelling to make sure it keeps its place in the calendar.

After all, there are already 24 races in the calendar, and there are only 12 months and 365 days in a year.