The potential of Thailand hosting a Grand Prix in the future appears to be closer, after F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali held talks over a street race in Bangkok.
Thailand, as per Motorsport.com, have been keen for some time to bring Formula One to their country.
The country in Southeast Asia has never hosted a Formula One Grand Prix but has a driver racing under their flag, in the form of London-born Williams driver Alex Albon.
F1 has had mixed success in Asia with races in Japan, China and Singapore hosting races this season. However, F1 didn’t race for long in South Korea and India. While plans for a Grand Prix in Vietnam were foiled by Covid-19.
Thailand’s previous prime minister attended the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to hold talks with Domenicali.
The F1 Ceo travelled to Thailand after the Australian Grand Prix and ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix for talks with current prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
F1 Boss Holds Talks Over Future Thailand Grand Prix
Stefano Domenicali has been left ‘impressed’ by plans for a future Thailand Grand Prix.
After the meeting on Tuesday, he said: “I was delighted to meet with Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand, and her team to discuss their impressive plans to host a race in Bangkok.
“I am looking forward to continuing our discussions in the weeks and months ahead.”
The race would be held on a street circuit in Bangkok. Though with the planning and costs involved, it would likely take a couple of seasons before it would be introduced to the calendar if given the green light.
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
Have Thailand Previously Been Involved in F1?
Thailand has never hosted a Formula One Grand Prix but have had two drivers involved in the sport.
Prince Bira, made 19 starts between 1950 and 1954. He finished eighth in the inaugural F1 drivers’ championship and won two non-championship races.
It took 65 years for Thailand to get another driver on the grid in Alex Albon.
Albon has 107 entries and two podiums – both with Red Bull in 2020. Now at Williams, he got his 2025 season off to a good start with a fifth-place finish in Australia.
Other Countries That Could Host A F1 Race In The Future
Another country that like Thailand could potentially host a Grand Prix in the future is Argentina.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hinted at this at last year’s United States Grand Prix. The prospect of a race would be helped if Argentine driver Franco Colapinto returns to a race seat in the near future to boost expected attendance.
There are also plans to bring Formula One to Africa – given that the last race in the continent was 32 years ago.
The BBC reported in January that South Africa and Rwanda are contenders for a future race.
