Thailand eyes hosting Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bangkok from 2028
The Thai government is considering hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bangkok from 2028, with prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra confirming plans for a feasibility study into the proposal.
It marks Thailand's latest effort to establish itself as a premier destination for global sporting events and attract high-spending tourists.
Ms Shinawatra met with Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali on Tuesday at Government House in Bangkok, where they discussed the country's potential to hold a race on a street circuit in the capital.
Following the meeting, she announced that the government would examine the investment required, assess possible race routes, and evaluate the economic benefits for Thailand.
"We had the opportunity to discuss the opportunity of Thailand to host the Formula 1 race, which is a great sport with a worldwide following," Ms Shinawatra posted on X.
"The government confirmed that it will study this joint investment, including the study of the race route, the investment budget, and the value for Thailand to receive from hosting the race."
Our CEO Stefano Domenicali met with the Prime Minister of Thailand earlier today 🇹🇭"I was delighted to meet with Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minster of Thailand, and her team today to discuss their impressive plans to host a race in Bangkok. I am looking forward to… pic.twitter.com/43ps1vjbQ0
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2025
Although Thailand already has an FIA-accredited circuit – the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, which hosts MotoGP races – the focus is on holding a Formula 1 street race in Bangkok.
The city's traffic congestion is notorious, and Ms Shinawatra believes the event could serve as an impetus to upgrade infrastructure.
"I believe that all Thai people will benefit from organising this event, whether it is large-scale infrastructure investment, job creation, new income generation, and importing new technologies and innovations," she said.
"I am confident that this project will be successful. It is another important opportunity for the country to organise a world-class event."
Mr Domenicali also expressed optimism, calling Thailand's plans "impressive" and stating that he looked forward to continuing discussions in the coming months.
If successful, Thailand would join an increasingly crowded Formula 1 calendar, which currently features 24 races worldwide.
A third of the scheduled events for 2025 will be held on street or hybrid circuits, including the Singapore Grand Prix, which takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Formula 1 has had two Thai drivers in its history: Alex Albon, who races for the British Formula One team Williams Racing under the Thai flag, and Prince Birabongse Bhanudej, who competed in the sport's early years from 1950 to 1955.
While Thailand has expressed interest in hosting an F1 race before, this latest push builds on previous efforts to position the country as a hub for major international events.
The government has actively sought to host concerts and festivals, aiming to capitalise on its tourism-driven economy.
The feasibility study will determine whether Bangkok can meet the logistical and financial demands of hosting a Grand Prix, as Formula 1 continues to evaluate new venues amid surging global interest in the sport.
Additional reporting by agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Red Bull requests FIA superlicence exemption for F1 junior
While Red Bull Racing's reserve drivers and junior talents are currently in the spotlights due to Max Verstappen's eleven penalty points, it has emerged that Red Bull submitted a request for a superlicence exemption for Formula 2 racer Arvid Lindblad. According to information obtained by Red Bull's request will be discussed next week during the upcoming FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau. Advertisement It's important to note, however, that this request is not directly related to Verstappen's penalty situation and was submitted well before the Dutchman's tally of penalty points hit 11, as Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko clarified. Lindblad is currently competing in Formula 2 and meets all other requirements for a superlicence – the document required to take part in official F1 sessions. He has accumulated enough superlicence points in junior formulas, although drivers can formally receive it only once they turn 18. This rule was introduced following Max Verstappen's remarkably early F1 debut at the age of 17, when he didn't yet have a driving licence. To prevent similar situations, the FIA implemented a minimum age as part of the superlicence system, which aspiring F1 drivers must now meet. Following in Antonelli's footsteps? Last year, however, the door was slightly reopened for talents under 18, when Mercedes requested an exemption for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The process of permitting the Italian to test its F1 machinery was similar to the steps Red Bull is taking now. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes F1 W15 Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes F1 W15 Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Advertisement It led to a revision of the FIA International Sporting Code, specifically article 13.1.2. Appendix L, which now states: "At the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition may be granted a superlicence at the age of 17 years old." Since Lindblad has already earned enough points before his 18th birthday and currently sits third in the Formula 2 standings as a rookie – with two race wins, including the feature race in Barcelona – he appears to qualify under this clause. The FIA will discuss Red Bull's request next week, when it is on the agenda for the meeting in Macau. If approved, Lindblad would be allowed to participate in F1 practice sessions and could even serve as a stand-in for one of the regular drivers. This could offer Red Bull an extra option given its current situation as Verstappen is teetering on the edge of a one-race ban from the series. If the Dutchman receives a suspension and Red Bull decides to promote one of the Racing Bulls drivers, Lindblad could theoretically replace either Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson at the sister team. Advertisement In addition to Lindblad (if the FIA grants the exemption), Red Bull still has Ayumu Iwasa available as a reserve driver. Read Also: Who could replace Max Verstappen at Red Bull if he lands F1 race ban? How Max Verstappen earned 11 penalty points in 11 months Lindblad turns 18 on August 8, a few days after the Hungarian Grand Prix, meaning the British-Swedish driver would be eligible for his superlicence during the F1 summer break regardless. To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Adrian Newey is 'provoking' Aston Martin
to help speed up the outfit's development. Newey sparked a warning that despite the team's state-of-the-art Silverstone HQ possessing the best equipment, there was a problem with the data correlating with the simulator. Advertisement Newey identified Aston's loop simulator as an area of weakness and said rectifying the issue was 'probably a two-year project in truth'. However, speaking on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Cowell said his design team had leapt on those comments with a view to proving the legendary designer wrong with his prediction. Cowell said: 'Everything that we're doing can improve and needs to improve. Adrian thinks the same. The great thing with Adrian is he knows the level that we need to get to. So he's setting high standards. I'm setting tough standards within the organisation. And then it's about how quickly can we get there. 'Is it going to take us two years to get there? No, it's not. Is Adrian provoking people? Yes, he is. As is Lawrence [Stroll] and Fernando [Alonso] and Lance [Stroll] and myself and many other people within the organisation. Advertisement 'We are all setting high standards to achieve. And the competitive advantage comes from how quickly you achieve it. 'So Adrian's provoking us. He's saying it's going to take everybody two years to achieve that. And everybody in the factory that I've spoken to that's working around the design team is going, 'well, we'll show him! We'll turn it into months rather than years'.' Andy Cowell, Team Principal and Group CEO at Aston Martin F1 Team with Adrian Newey, Managing Technical Partner of Aston Martin F1 Andy Cowell, Team Principal and Group CEO at Aston Martin F1 Team with Adrian Newey, Managing Technical Partner of Aston Martin F1 Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images Advertisement Cowell, the team's CEO and team principal, first worked with Newey back in 2004 when the latter was at McLaren; he was working for Mercedes at the time, and says the two have rekindled their working relationship and have open discussions about the improvements they can make. He added: 'I worked together with Adrian, but that's a long time ago now. The last two months we've been working together, and it's very enjoyable. Adrian isn't interested in people management, business organisation, or the way of stitching everything together so that we're all focused on the race car. 'Adrian is focused on the design of the race car, the architecture, and the detailed considerations. He's been in the industry a long time, as have I, and we know our strengths and our weaknesses. I think a strength that we've both got is that we can just talk openly to each other.' Cowell says that his ability to understand the complexities of the F1 hybrid engine – having led Mercedes' successful High Performance Powertrains division – will help him with the integration as Aston switches to Honda engines for 2026. Advertisement He said: 'It's five years ago that I was last poking my nose inside a Formula 1 engine, and so I completely respect that it's Honda's responsibility to create the power unit for '26 onwards for Aston Martin. 'I'm a big believer in everybody that's working on the racing car, whether it's a composite designer, whether it's for suspension, whether it's vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics – we all focus on what's best for the race car, and the best way of coming up with a common language is having a common currency, and that's lap time. 'That said, what I can also do is listen to what the Honda engineers are talking about, what they're battling with, and I can explain that to the people here. I can just take the pressure off this area a little bit. 'And likewise, I can do the same with Honda. I can say, 'look, the integration guys are asking for this because of this'. So hopefully, I can explain both worlds, but we can equate what we're doing from a performance perspective in the common currency of milliseconds.' More: Listen to the JA on F1 podcast at To read more articles visit our website.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
SailGP's toughest task lies ahead in one of its more exciting venues: Upper New York Bay
The SailGP fleet is steeling itself for one of the most exciting venues of the season. The towering skyline of New York City certainly takes the breath away, but that famous wall of skyscrapers is also quite capable of taking the wind away, too. No sane sailing event would choose to hold a competition on the waters of Upper New York Bay, although Formula One probably shouldn't stage a grand prix on the narrow streets of Monaco, either. Advertisement Love it or loathe it, Upper New York Bay will make for an impressive sporting arena this weekend for the 12-team close-to-shore sailing championship. It's far from a straightforward venue; the wind is likely to be extremely gusty and shifty, making it very hard for the strategists to give a clear call on tactics. Keeping SailGP's identical F50 catamarans, which compete head-to-head, in stable flight is hard enough on an open track, so trying to achieve constant foiling as the breeze swirls off the streets of Manhattan is much more difficult. The F50 will tax the coordination of the 'back three' in each six-person crew — the driver (makes final decisions about steering), wing trimmer (adjusts the wing sail for maximum speed) and flight controller (manages the ride height of the boat above the water). Then again, last year's New York event produced good, steady breezes that took everyone pleasantly by surprise. Though the long-range forecast for this weekend suggests it's going to be softer and flukier in 2025. Practice is always in short supply on the F50s, but it's been more so in recent weeks due to the cancellation of what would have been SailGP's first trip to South America, the Rio Grand Prix, which had been scheduled for early May. Following the catastrophic disintegration of the Australian team's wingsail in the closing stages of the San Francisco Grand Prix in March, the Brazil event had to be canned as designers and engineers were thrown the task of strengthening the wings of all 12 competing F50s. Behind the scenes, there has been a massive effort to have the new wings ready, with the technical work done on both sides of the Atlantic. SailGP Technologies in the English city of Southampton has been assisted by America's Cup team American Magic, who have contributed their people and facilities in Pensacola, Florida, to make sure the fleet is seaworthy and race-ready for New York. Advertisement Each boat has received an upgraded 'main element 1' — the area of the wingsail that bears the most load in racing conditions. SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said in a press release: 'These new components for the wingsails feature an aluminum Nomex core and increased laminate, which means the new shear webs will be approximately twice as strong.' So, assuming the boats hold together, what of the form book for New York? Talking of form books, SailGP has just this week announced its foray into sports betting, with punters now able to gamble on a number of outcomes in the racing. With five different winners from five events so far in Season 5, the field is wide open. Last year, it was New Zealand who continued a good run of form in Season 4 to take victory in New York, and Peter Burling's team also took the opening event of the current season in Dubai last November. Other winners so far have been Australia, Great Britain, Canada and Spain. The points at the top of the leaderboard are extremely tight, with fifth-placed Canada just four points behind leader Australia. As Season 5 approaches its halfway point, the gap between the top and the bottom half of the leaderboard has already opened up. The big five look to be in a different league, although the French are also showing signs of being able to mix it with the best. Perhaps Quentin Delapierre's crew will find that edge of speed that was missing in San Francisco to become the sixth different winner of the season this weekend in New York. Delapierre is trying to remind himself to enjoy the moment while he's in the thick of competition. 'It's a really special place, with the Statue of Liberty behind you, which is pretty cool,' he told The Athletic. 'Along with Saint-Tropez and Sydney, this is one of the most iconic grands prix of the season. We have the opportunity, just before the races, to do 30 minutes of warm-up; it's kind of the only time we can turn our heads and look around. We're literally racing between the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, in the middle of the ferries, which is just incredible on a boat going close to 100kmh (62mph).' Advertisement As for the contenders on the bottom half of the leaderboard, all local eyes will be on the United States team to see if Taylor Canfield's crew can earn redemption after a lacklustre showing in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Canfield's third-place finish in Dubai at the end of last year proved the U.S. team display better form in non-foiling conditions. So a light-wind, funky forecast could give them a much-needed chance to shine in front of an expectant home crowd. Saturday, June 7: Race day 1, SailGP Race Stadium Race times: 3.30pm-5pm ET / 8.30pm-10pm BST Sunday, June 8: Race day 2, SailGP Race Stadium Race times: 3.30pm-5pm ET / 8.30pm-10pm BST Coverage will be live on CBS Sports Network and YouTube in the United States, viewers in the UK can watch it on TNT Sports. More details on how to watch can be found here.
