Thailand has declared its intentions to join the F1 calendar in 2028, as they prepare their bid for Grand Prix in Bangkok.
The F1 calendar has seen significant evolution in recent years, with the schedule expanding to a record-breaking 24 races.
Under the Concorde agreement, current 24 Grand Prix is the limit per season.
At present, neither F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali nor FIA President Ben Sulayem have expressed any intention of adding more races.
With that said, some existing circuits could lose their calendar slots at the expense of new ones.
According to a report from ESPN, Thailand’s Bangkok is among the venues aspiring to host an F1 race.
How the calendar could continue to evolve
The extent to which F1’s popularity has grown since 2021, whilst sometimes overstated, is notable.
Although the pinnacle of motorsport enjoyed tens of millions of viewers every weekend throughout the 2000s and 2010s, F1 has reached new heights in recent years.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s infamous title battle, amongst other things, have boosted the sport’s reach.
At every corner of the globe, race weekends see hundreds of thousands of people in attendance.
This has resulted in a spike of different countries trying to become part of the F1 calendar.
In many cases, the circuits vying for a place in F1 are accompanied by significant financial investment.
Venues that present a Grand Prix with modern facilities and the necessary funds to pay F1’s hosting fees can create a compelling bid.
Whilst this competition is a testament to the sport’s growth, it has put several historic venues at risk.
Spa, for example, will became a rotational circuit on the calendar in a few years.
Whilst it will not be entirely replaced, its demotion to a semi-permanent race speaks to the challenges that long-standing tracks face.
Barcelona, Imola and Zandvoort could become the next casualties as the 2026 calendar begins to take shape.
Where could Thailand fit in the schedule?
Of course, it would be premature to say that Thailand enter the calendar just yet.
Bangkok’s proposal will reportedly be for 2028, meaning there is still plenty of work ahead before anything is confirmed.
Even if this new circuit has the financial means to create a convincing bid to F1, it will face stiff competition.
Not just from existing venues, such as Barcelona, which are fighting to keep their place, but also from other new bidders.
Turkey’s Istanbul Park, for example, is understood to have entered talks with F1 at the beginning of the year.
Having hosted races previously, the Turkish capital could find itself on the calendar in the near future.
There are other projects, such as South Africa’s quest to make a comeback, which could complicate negotiations over coming months.
As mentioned previously, there are several European tracks that could be replaced on the calendar.
Still, this is not to suggest that all of them will be replaced – at least not permanently.
As demonstrated with the Belgian GP, there is always the possibility for circuits to become rotational destinations on the F1 schedule.
This should make the next few months interesting, as different countries negotiate.
Main photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images (via Red Bull content pool)
