The government of Thailand has approved a bid to host Formula 1 (F1) motor racing action, potentially in 2028.
A government spokesperson said at a news conference yesterday (June 17) that the bid is for the hosting of five grands prix between 2028 and 2032, while the country's tourism minister, Sorawong Thienthong, reportedly said that the bid is worth around $1.23 billion overall.
Go deeper with GlobalData
If this submission (initially reported in late May) is successful, F1 action will take place in the Thai capital of Bangkok, at a street circuit.
The aforementioned government spokesperson, Jirayu Houngsub, said: "In the next two to three years, Thailand will have world-class competition, which we never thought would actually happen."
Thailand's prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, attended the Monaco Grand Prix in May and is reported to have held talks about the potential hosting of an F1 race in Thailand with the series' hierarchy.
Thailand has never hosted F1 action before, although it does have experience of putting on international motorsport after staging a race from motorcycling’s MotoGP World Championships at the Buriram circuit (which also has accreditation from F1’s governing body, the FIA).
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataCurrently, the Singapore Grand Prix is the nearest F1 race to Thailand, with the 2025 schedule – 24 races in total – also including stops in China, Japan, and Australia. There are four Asia-Pacific races in total.
The 2026 season schedule, meanwhile, was unveiled earlier this month, with Madrid replacing Imola in Northern Italy as a host venue.
At least two venues on next season's list will then exit at the end of 2026 – Zandvoort in the Netherlands, and Barcelona (which will be replaced as the host of the Spanish Grand Prix by Madrid).
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, meanwhile, will only host races biennially from 2026 onwards.
Earlier this week, F1 and the organizers of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal unveiled a hosting rights extension through 2035.
Last month, the Miami Grand Prix signed a 10-year extension to remain on the series calendar through 2041.
