ICAN Management, a South African-founded driver development company focused on guiding African talent toward Formula 1, opened its second season in the FIA-certified Formula 4 India Championship with a commanding result. At Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on 12 and 13 September 2026, driver Luviwe Sambudla won Round 1 outright, while teammate Mahlori Mabunda finished second, giving the programme a one-two finish at its first event of the campaign.
The championship matters beyond bragging rights because it is one of the limited international series that award FIA Super Licence points, the mandatory currency any driver must accumulate to be eligible for a Formula 1 seat. ICAN Management founder and director Mpho Elijah Gumbi, known as MEG, said the strong start reflected a shift from last year's focus on gaining experience to this year's intent to genuinely compete. Formula 1 is not a dream you talk your way into, Gumbi said, noting that drivers need Super Licence points, mileage, and proof against international competition.
The result adds to a broader pattern of grassroots and development initiatives working to rebuild Africa's presence in single-seater racing, decades after Jody Scheckter became the continent's last world champion in 1979. Separate from ICAN's India programme, South African outfit WORR Motorsport has built a local karting manufacturing partnership aimed at cutting equipment costs by up to 55 percent over five years.
Together with continental karting initiatives, these programmes illustrate that Africa's push to return to Formula 1 is happening on two tracks at once: high-level diplomatic and commercial bids to host a race, and grassroots efforts to eventually put an African driver back on the grid.
Source: Motorsport South Africa (motorsport.co.za).
Original source: Motorsport South Africa — https://www.motorsport.co.za/south-african-drivers-take-win-and-second-place-at-opening-round-of-2026-fia-formula-4-india-championship/
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