Thailand grand prix edges closer after government approves funding

A grand prix in Thailand has moved a step closer after the Thai cabinet approved a $1.2 billion bid to host a race from 2028 onwards.

The proposal is for an initial five-year deal that would run until 2032, for a race on a street circuit in Bangkok. The race has been subject to a feasibility study and has led to Thai delegations attending multiple events on the current Formula 1 calendar, while prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in March, and has attended races herself as a guest of Alex Albon.

“In the next two-three years, Thailand will have world-class competition, which we never thought would actually happen in Thailand,” Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub is quoted as saying by Reuters.

The figure given by the government is funding approval that will allow the race organizers to progress in negotiations with F1 regarding joining the calendar in 2028.

The location of the proposed track in the Chatuchak Park area of Bangkok would have a set-up similar to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, utilizing both city streets and park sections. Race organizers visited both Melbourne and Singapore in the past year, to understand the logistical solutions for the 3.54-mile (5.7km) layout.

While the current number of races is set to remain at 24 next year, Bangkok could join at a time when the Belgian Grand Prix will have moved to a rotation model, and races in Zandvoort and Barcelona are set to have dropped off the calendar.