System 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali will go to Bangkok subsequent week as plans for a race in Thailand collect momentum.
RACER understands a delegation from the organizing committee for a race within the Chatuchak space are current at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix to know how the race is placed on inside Albert Park. The Bangkok plans characteristic an identical observe location with some metropolis avenue sections in addition to park utilization, and the delegation beforehand attended final yr’s Singapore Grand Prix on an identical go to.
The bid to host a race in Thailand has emerged because the almost definitely new addition to the calendar at this stage amid a number of expressions of curiosity, with F1 introducing race rotation. The Belgian Grand Prix has already been confirmed as shifting to alternate years from 2027 onwards, with an identical mannequin being explored for Barcelona and Imola.
Beforehand the principle momentum was behind makes an attempt to race on the African continent, however curiosity in a grand prix in Rwanda has cooled in current months because of the ongoing battle within the Democratic Republic of Congo, with additional uncertainty over whether or not a venture to construct an F1 circuit could possibly be accomplished inside an appropriate timeframe,
South Africa has additionally been mooted as a possible location that might return to the calendar, however after failed makes an attempt to get a strong bid in place utilizing the Kyalami circuit, no clear venture has emerged that has up to now been deemed viable.
There has additionally been expressions of curiosity from former venues in Turkey – at Istanbul Park – and Malaysia – at Sepang – to rejoin the grid, however RACER understands these should not presently seen as occasions that carry as a lot potential because the venture in Thailand.
Whereas Domenicali will go to Bangkok to see the Chatuchak proposal between this weekend’s race in Melbourne and the subsequent in China, sources with information of the state of affairs describe the probabilities of an settlement being reached in future as 50/50.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown just lately backed plans so as to add new races to the calendar, so long as rotation of current occasions capped the entire quantity on the present degree of 24 rounds.
“Clearly some issues have peaked (in F1),” Brown stated. “24 races, we will’t do extra.
“We’d wish to see one thing spoken about previously with a purpose to develop the calendar, perhaps have a set 20 races and eight that rotate each different yr, in order that’s a approach to get into the 28 markets, however keep the 24 race calendar, as a result of the calendar may be very tough on all people. However that’s a approach to proceed to develop the game.”
