As South Africa gears up for an official bid for a Formula One Grand Prix, rumours around future destinations for the series have intensified.
Formula One’s expansion into the US has been well documented but, with three races now taking place in the country, that particular market is now saturated. The series will not be looking to add a fourth event anytime soon.
Instead, underdeveloped markets are the main focus for a global championship that does not yet race on every continent. Africa hasn’t hosted a Formula One race since 1993, Southeast Asia remains underserved, and emerging countries with global ambitions want a slice of the Formula One action.
Negotiations for new races remain at a very early stage, but the decision to stage the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on a rotational basis from 2027 onwards highlights that series executives are aware of the need to free up space – and it is the European races that face the axe.
The Dutch Grand Prix will drop off the calendar after 2026, while the presence of two Italian races looks likely to end soon with the contracts for both Imola and Monza expiring at the end of this season and only one to be offered an extension.
Another looking likely to fall by the wayside is the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with a city centre race in Madrid taking over the mantle of the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026. There could also be further races moved to a rotational status, meaning even more openings for new destinations.
But where are the most likely landing spots for a future Formula One race? BlackBook Motorsport looks at five potential options and gives the verdict on their chances of joining the schedule.
Thailand
Reports emerged in early 2024 that Thailand was looking into joining the Formula One calendar. The country would be a new market for the series but not wider motorsport.
Srettha Thavisin, Thailand’s prime minister at the time, had pitched a street race in Bangkok to Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali and spent the weekend of the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as a guest of the series.
Thailand already hosts a MotoGP race at the Buriram International Circuit, while the country has also stated its intention to host a Formula E race. This all forms part of a wider strategy to elevate the country as a tourism hotspot through events.
Significantly, Thai billionaire businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya owns 51 per cent of Red Bull, whose team has dominated Formula One with Max Verstappen for the past four years. A race in Thailand would also provide current Williams driver Alex Albon with a home race.
“There’s got to be public interest … so obviously it helps if a driver’s competing [from that country],” Steve Wright, executive director at the Right Formula sports marketing agency, tells BlackBook Motorsport.
“But that’s not the sole criteria, there are more important socioeconomic factors that need to be taken into consideration. Having a driver is a bit of icing on the cake.”
If Thailand lands the rights to host a Formula One race in 2027, it could generate about four billion baht (US$108 million) and more than 1,000 jobs, according to the country’s deputy secretary general to the premier Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham.
Verdict: Medium
Williams Racing driver Alex Albon is Thai, making a race in the country all-the-more attractive to locals (Image credit: Getty Images)
South Korea
Murmurings of Formula One returning to South Korea intensified when Yoo Jeong-bok, mayor of Incheon, reportedly submitted a letter of intent in April 2024 for the city to host a street race as early as next year.
The potential event would be different to the previous Korean Grand Prix, which took place at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam but struggled to generate much momentum before dropping off the schedule in 2014 after four years.
For Wright, previous financial challenges, logistical issues and a lack of local interest for the Korean Grand Prix all work against the country’s chances of returning to the calendar.
“We’ve had a race there in the past, it didn’t work out particularly well,” says Wright. “I don’t know what they would have to do differently to make or establish South Korea on the calendar in a sustainable way.
“When I talk about sustainability, it’s more from a commercial point of view than any other point of view … I can absolutely see there would be a desire from a number of perspectives to have an additional [Asian] race back on the calendar, whether it be in South Korea [or] Thailand.”
Verdict: Low
South Africa
Formula One hasn’t raced in Africa since the South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami Circuit in 1993, but going back to the continent is high on the agenda for series executives.
Indeed, the event in South Africa came close to a return in 2022. However, Domenicali stepped away from talks as he wanted to be certain that the commercial package around the race was sustainable. There was also said to be a lack of confidence in the local promoter in South Africa, but efforts to find a new one had proven unsuccessful.
If South Africa’s prospects appeared to be fading, the country’s government breathed new life into a bid at the start of the year when it asked parties interested in hosting a race to submit their proposals by the end of January. South Africa is seeking a ten-year contract with Formula One starting in either 2026 or 2027.
“South Africa has been talked about for ten years now,” Wright says. “It’s gained momentum and then fallen out of the conversation. There’s been a real desire from the country to bring a race back to South Africa. I think economical [reasons] have been the biggest challenge.”
Verdict: Medium
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Rwanda
While perhaps not a country you would associate with motorsport, Rwanda has made no secret of its desire to be part of Formula One.
The country’s capital Kigali has already hosted the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) end-of-year prize giving ceremony, which is where the country’s president Paul Kagame revealed Rwanda’s intention to host a Formula One race.
“I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa, by hosting a Formula One Grand Prix,” Kagame said in December.
“A big thank you to Stefano Domenicali and the entire team at F1 for the good progress in our discussions so far.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Rwandan president Paul Kagame,and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the FIA prize giving ceremony in December (Image credit: Getty Images)
If a deal is agreed, the race would be held at a new circuit close to Bugesera International Airport outside Kigali.
“It does seem to be lining up from a commercial point of view … the local country ambition, the ambition of the sport … I just feel the momentum is probably with Rwanda,” says Wright.
A Grand Prix in Rwanda would be controversial given Kagame has been accused of creating an autocratic state.
Notably, Human Rights Watch states that several high-profile critics of the government have been arrested or threatened and authorities regularly fail to conduct credible investigations into cases of enforced disappearances and suspicious deaths of government opponents.
More recently, the rebel group M23, which UN experts maintain is under de facto control by the Rwandan army, has captured Goma, the largest city in the east of the Democratic Rebublic of Congo. Rwanda has claimed that its troops have been deployed in the DR Congo only as a defensive measure to stop the conflict spilling into Rwanda.
The situation could scupper Rwanda’s F1 bid. But questionable human rights records have not deterred the series before.
Verdict: High
Argentina
The emergence of Franco Colapinto last season not only led to a swell of support from his native Argentina but also prompted Formula One to take a closer look at the country possibly hosting a race.
Given the nation’s fervent motorsport fanbase, Argentina and Formula One seem like a natural fit. The reality, though, is a little different.
MotoGP and IndyCar have both tried and failed to stage races in Argentina recently, with the country’s financial problems proving a significant stumbling block.
If Colapinto becomes a full-time Formula One driver again any bid will have more impetus, but he is currently operating as a reserve driver for Alpine.
“There are so many factors that have got to be addressed, so many hurdles that need to be overcome,” explains Wright.
“To host a Grand Prix is a complicated business, there are so many stakeholders that need to be involved. Cost is prohibitive for a lot of countries [and] I think it would certainly be one of the challenges for Argentina.”
Verdict: Low
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