Lewis Hamilton given major update on F1 dream thanks to Red Bull and David Coulthard

's battle to restore the South African Grand Prix to the F1 calendar has received additional support from and David Coulthard, with the latter declaring the Kyalami Circuit 'ready' to make its long-awaited return.

Coulthard was in South Africa taking part in a Red Bull event, driving the team's title-winning 2011 machine - the RB17 - around the Kyalami Circuit, before enjoying some donuts with spinning champion Semkeliso Thubane.

Speaking after his track time, Coulthard said: "Driving the RB7 here at Kyalami was unforgettable. With South Africa's energy and Kyalami's world-class track, it's clear the country is ready to rejoin the F1 calendar."

This will be music to the ears of Hamilton, who has been pushing hard to get Kyalami back on the calendar. "There's one more race we need and that's going to be Africa," he said last year. "We have all the other continents and why not there? So that's the one I'm working on pushing right now."

There is significant interest from local officials and F1 bosses to bring F1 cars back to Kyalami for the first time since 1993. However, if the South African GP is to return, it will need to beat out Thailand, South Korea, Argentina and Rwanda, all of whom have registered their own interest in staging races in the near future.

The right steps are at least being taken. The Kyalami track owners have appointed Apex Circuit Design - the company behind Miami's F1 track, to renovate the venue and bring it up to FIA Grade One standards, which is a requirement for any Grand Prix event.

Hamilton has the support from key figures too. Gayton McKenzie, the country's sports, arts and culture minister, has been hard at work behind the scenes. "There's still a big fight at the moment, is it Cape Town or is it Joburg?" he explained.

"That decision has not been taken. What I've done, I've told everybody to stand back. Let me handle it, because twice we've been hearing F1 is coming. I can tell you this, F1 is definitely coming. F1 told us they're keen to come, they told us what they need to come and we're going to give what they need for them to come."

The problem, however, is where it fits into the calendar. The paddock is at breaking point with a 24-race schedule, so adding another event is impossible. Therefore, South Africa's hopes of a Grand Prix return rest on Stefano Domenicali implementing race rotation within Europe, freeing up spots for interested parties.