FRESH BIDDER STAKES CLAIM FOR PLACE ON F1 CALENDAR AFTER STEFANO DOMENICALI MEETING

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has met with the prime minister of Thailand over the possibility of the nation holding a Grand Prix in future.

The proposal includes a street race in Bangkok, with the nation aiming to make it onto the calendar in the 2027 season if a deal with Formula 1 can be agreed.

Thailand stakes a claim to get onto the F1 calendar

Thailand’s prime minister Srettha Thavisin shared photos of his meeting with the Formula 1 CEO, with the nation confirming they would need three years to prepare to get onto the calendar, making 2027 their target season.

The proposed route of the street circuit would take in the Ratchadamnoen area of Bangkok, and this latest meeting follows a discussion between the two that had taken place in Paris last month.

The Pheu Thai Party, the largest in Thailand’s governing coalition, said that a Grand Prix heading to the country would bring with it the potential of bringing up to 300,000 tourists to the nation, as well as creating up to 6,000 jobs in the process.

Writing on X [formerly Twitter], prime minister Thavisin said: “Thailand has the potential to host Formula One in Bangkok. If it is successful, I am confident that our country will be one of the hosts of the competition that creates the most impression with its potential and facilities and the friendliness of Thai people.

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“Today I had a discussion with Mr. Stefano Domenicali, Chairman of the Executive Board of Formula One Group, who was honoured to visit Thailand at the invitation of the government to explore the possibilities in using Thailand as a street race or F1 competition venue.

“I sincerely hope that this trip to Thailand to explore the possibility of expanding the Formula One competition in Thailand will allow the company to gain insights and survey and study the route that shows Thailand’s potential to host a Formula One competition. The Thai government is ready to fully facilitate.”

Thailand currently has representation on the grid through Alex Albon, so a potential race in Bangkok would represent a home event for the Williams driver, who races under a Thai licence.

The latest change in the F1 calendar has already been announced for 2026, with Madrid having been confirmed to be joining the schedule on a part-street circuit and taking on the Spanish Grand Prix name from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, though both races are due to appear on the calendar that year.

2024-04-23T17:09:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd