Formula 1: Thailand candidate to organize its first grand prix

Thailand, country of driver Alexander Albon (Williams), would like to organize a Formula 1 grand prix, assured Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who met Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali on Monday.

“Thailand has the capacity to host Formula 1 in Bangkok,” wrote the head of government on X (formerly Twitter), following his interview in Bangkok with the promoter of the World Championship.

“If we do it, I am sure that our country will leave incredible memories for others, because we have good potential, capacity, and because of the hospitality of the Thai people,” he assured.

A government spokesperson quoted by a local media evokes an urban circuit in the streets of old Bangkok, a megacity renowned for its monster traffic jams and infrastructure problems. No timetable has been specified.

This initiative is part of the “soft power” policy initiated by Srettha Thavisin, to increase the visibility of the kingdom and attract more tourists, in an economic context that remains fragile since the pandemic.

The American promoter of Formula 1 is continuing the development of the discipline through an increasingly long calendar - 24 grand prix in 2024, a record - which leaves room for new circuits.

Thailand has never held an F1 grand prix, but hosts a MotoGP World Championship race every year, in Buriram, in a poor, rural region more than five hours' drive from the capital.

Vietnam, close to Thailand, was due to host its first grand prix in 2020, in Hanoi, but the coronavirus pandemic canceled the event. The circuit has since been abandoned.