Dream future street track has "more character" than new locations, says F1 driver

Williams Formula 1 driver Alex Albon believes the proposed Bangkok street circuit “has more character” than several of the newer city-based tracks added to the calendar in recent years.

Last week, the Thai government approved a $1.2 billion proposal to host a Formula 1 race in its capital from 2028, with plans for a five-year deal.

This followed a visit by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to Thailand in March after the Chinese Grand Prix, where he held talks with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra regarding the country’s ambitions to secure a grand prix.

Although the event is yet to receive formal approval from the FIA and Formula One Management, Thai authorities are continuing to push forward with the aim of hosting a race in three years' time.

Albon, who is of Anglo-Thai heritage, has been privy to discussions behind the scenes and is expected to play a key role in promoting the event if the bid gets the green light.

While specific details of the circuit layout remain limited, Albon expressed optimism about the design, suggesting it will differ from other recent street tracks that have drawn criticism from fans.

“It's not in central Bangkok,” he said. “If you've ever been to Thailand and Bangkok, you know the traffic situation is not great.

“They're doing a lot of work with the infrastructure and the logistics, getting people in and out.

“The track itself, I wouldn't call it your classic street track, not the ones that we usually see in the last few years. I think it's got more character than [those], which is positive.”

Thai F1 race "becoming more and more real"

F1 already has a packed 24-round calendar, with no scope for expanding it further, but a rotation system could create room for a race in Thailand in the near future.

Albon believes a first-ever Thailand GP is now becoming a real possibility, with the government keen to get the deal over the line.

“It looks like it's becoming more and more real,” he said. Obviously, Thailand is quite big with the tourism industry and Formula 1 fits their narrative perfectly. I do think it's going to be really good for the country.

“It seems like they [the government] are taking it very seriously as well. They've come to a lot of races. I'm not sure if they're going to be here this weekend [in Austria], but they've been coming to pretty much the last two or three races and it's all going forward.

“There's not been any setbacks so far, which is obviously very important. I can't really say so much, but everything I've seen, the circuit, the initial plans, it all looks really pretty promising.”

As the first Thai driver to compete in F1 Prince Birabongse Bhanudej in 1954, Albon will play an important role in promoting the proposed Bangkok event.

“The government's really supportive around it and so it doesn't require me to be too vocal or informed about it, but at the same time, I want it to be a success,” he said.

“So going into this year, next year, the work that we're doing to promote Formula 1 within Thailand, motorsport within Thailand, we're working with the government and everyone very closely, the sports tourism, general tourism as well. Really trying to engage with everyone and get it as big as we can.