If you had “Formula 1 chassis landing in Nairobi” on your 2026 sports bingo card, go ahead and collect your winnings.
This Sunday, September 27, the 54th Africa Concours d’Elegance at the Nairobi’s Ngong Racecourse is getting a massive upgrade and a monumental African moment.
Leading online gaming firm SportPesa is set to unveil a full scale replica of the 2019 Racing Point RP19 F1 car in what it has dubbed ‘Coming Home for Good.’
“‘Coming Home for Good’ marks a homecoming moment: the car that once carried the SportPesa name onto the Formula 1 grid has been brought back to Kenya, the country whose name it carried onto motorsport’s biggest stage. It’s a chance for Kenyans to stand next to a piece of their own sporting history rather than just having watched it on screens.
“For a generation of fans who followed the 2019 season through highlights and social media, this closes a loop, bringing home something that was, in a very real sense, always theirs,” SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri explained ahead of the unveiling.
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SportPesa made history in 2019
In 2019, SportPesa made history by becoming the first-ever African company to secure a title sponsorship in Formula 1.
By partnering with Racing Point to form the BWT Racing Point SportPesa F1 Team, the firm broke through a major barrier, and now the car is back in the company’s homeland, Kenya.
The original Racing Point RP19 Formula One racing car was designed and developed by the Racing Point F1 Team. It measured 220 inches (5,600 mm) in length and 79 inches (2,000 mm) in width and weighed 743 kg (1,638 lb).
The RP19 was powered by a 1.6L Mercedes M10 EQ or BWT Mercedes V6 engine, combined with the RP19’s highly efficient Energy Recovery System (ERS) to generate roughly 1,000 horsepower at peak output, with the engine limited to 15,000 RPM.
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What will be displayed at the Concours d’Elegance is the SportPesa Racing Point show car, which carries the same design character, livery, exterior, and interior appearance, but without the V10 sound because it does not have an engine.
The SportPesa Racing Point Formula One Team, now branded as Aston Martin, became the first team to launch an F1 car in Canada and also the first team to showcase its show car in Kenya, SportPesa’s hometown.
The show car remains largely dressed in the pink colours of sponsor BWT, a water technology company, while the engine cover and front-wing detailing highlight the SportPesa logo.
The original Formula One car was driven by veteran Mexican racing driver Sergio Perez, who joined the team in 2014 and left in 2020.
The car will be showcased alongside other vintage and classic motorcycles and cars in a field featuring between 40 and 70 vehicles at the Nairobi Racecourse on Ngong Road.
But that will not be the last chance for fans to see the car, as Captain Karauri stated that it will travel around the country, giving car enthusiasts and F1 fans the opportunity to experience the spectacle of seeing an F1 car up close.
“Post the unveil this Sunday at the Concours d’Elegance, the car will be showcased at various malls and locations around Nairobi and eventually in other towns and cities across Kenya. These details will be shared across SportPesa’s social media platforms,” he added.
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While the gaming firm’s journey in Formula 1 ended rather abruptly, its passion for motorsport is still alive, with SportPesa already venturing into sponsorship of the SportPesa Racing Team, backing six-time Kenya National Rally Championship winner Leo and Kigo, alongside a new SportPesa Racing Rising Stars programme for young talent.
They were also part of the major sponsorship team for the 2026 World Rally Championship Safari Rally and are expected to become even more involved in motorsport in the coming years.
The firm has also backed South African MotoGP rider Brad Binder.
Where to buy tickets for Kenya’s Concours d’Elegance on Sunday?
Fans who want to experience the spectacle and have a chance to see the first-ever Formula 1 car in Kenya can buy their tickets through this link: https://t.co/cr9zreAVnF