Fan recreates Rwanda's F1 circuit in Assetto Corsa within 24 hours of historic announcement

A fan-made simulation of Rwanda’s proposed Formula 1 circuit began circulating online within 72 hours of F1 announcing a decade-long deal to bring a grand prix to Africa for the first time, offering an early cockpit-level look at a track that does not yet have a published layout.

The mod was built by Tyrone Hesbrook, known online as Nukedrop, who completed the project in roughly 24 hours using Assetto Corsa. Working from the single preview render F1 has released, Hesbrook located the circuit by matching a visible airport in the background to satellite imagery, then layered in real elevation data for the surrounding landscape. The simulation features a Ferrari in its current red-and-white livery carrying the number 44 — Lewis Hamilton’s car — with the seven-time champion’s yellow helmet visible as it passes beneath a bridge and over multi-coloured kerbing.

Spanish F1 account Nachez spread the clip on X, where it accumulated around 695 likes and reached approximately 41,000 viewers after first surfacing on Reddit’s Formula1 community. Hesbrook is an established name in the Assetto Corsa modding scene, with previous work including Pikes Peak and the independently designed Circuit Thermalito.

Hesbrook is candid about the limitations of his version. His track measures 4.65km — roughly 1.35km shorter than the approximately 6km layout described by the official designers. The real circuit will feature 17 corners and run anti-clockwise; Hesbrook’s interpretation involves, by his own admission, “plenty of educated guesses about scale, elevation and details hidden from view.”

Elevation data also diverges significantly. WurzDesign, the firm developing the circuit in collaboration with Tilke Engineering, has calculated a total vertical elevation gain of 197m around the lap, while the fan-built version accounts for roughly 70m of altitude variation. The two figures measure different things — cumulative climb versus net height difference — so both can be accurate simultaneously.

The official circuit is being developed in Bugesera, approximately 40km south of Kigali, near an airport scheduled to open in 2028. The track is designed to weave through elevated terrain and include a lakeside section with cambered corners.

Hesbrook’s effort is not the only fan interpretation in circulation. Romeo Gagliotti has published a fictional “Rwanda International Circuit” mod — a 5.3km clockwise layout — and TC Esports has released an unofficial version inside the F1 25 video game. None of these represent the real design, which WurzDesign and Tilke Engineering have yet to publish in full.