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F1 might head back to hosting races in South Korea post a successful return to China after the gap of five years in the country.
The pinnacle of motorsport had been unable to host the races in Shanghai due to China's strict COVID-19 restrictions post the pandemic in 2020. The response from fans at the Chinese GP last weekend has positively surprised the F1 management as the entire three days were sold out.
As reported by RacingNews365, Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali might visit two countries, Thailand and South Korea, to discuss the possibilities of adding another race to the market from the Asian continent.
Chai Watcharong, the Thai government spokesperson, told Thansettakij:
“Basically, if F1 is going to be held in Thailand, we want it to be held on the roads – if possible, on Ratchadamnoen around Rattanakosin Island. We are currently working on the matter.”
The sport might also be interested in returning to South Korea, having previously raced in the country for four years from 2010-2013 at the Korea International Circuit.
F1 CEO hints at possible rotation of races in Europe
Stefano Domenicali stated that fans might see 'something interesting' regarding the European races from 2026 onwards, hinting at possible rotation.
Speaking with Autosport, the former Ferrari team boss said:
“I think in '26, you're going to see something interesting. We are discussing with other promoters in Europe to do something that will be announced soon."
He also added about the growing interest in races in the European market despite the sport's popularity at an all-time high in North America and Asian countries. Domenicali added:
“That is a year where there will be a lot of grands prix, mainly in Europe, where we have different options that we can take. I think Madrid shows one thing that was very important for us, to see that the attention of F1 is there, also in the old continent, where everyone was thinking, 'Oh, you know, we need to move out of Europe because there's not anymore the interest.' But we showed the opposite.”
It will be fascinating to see with already 24 races on the calendar in the 2024 and 2025 seasons if the sport will add more events in different countries.
Many iconic tracks like Barcelona are fighting for a contract extension despite losing the status of holding the Spanish GP to Madrid from 2026 onwards.
