F1 eyeing two more street races in Asia

F1 is reinventing itself under US based Liberty Media, who completed their takeover of motorsport’s most prestigious brand in January in a deal valued at about $8 billion, ending the four-decade reign of Bernie Ecclestone as Formula One’s colourful ringmaster. Singapore’s night street circuit has proved particularly popular with fans and drivers since making its debut in 2008 and managing director of commercial operations, Sean Bratches, says F1 enthusiasts can expect to see more street races in future. 

“I’m spending a lot of time reaching out proactively to cities and think ultimately we will realise more street races than we have seen historically,” he said. 

“We will go to iconic cities where there are large fan bases, particularly new fan bases that we can activate.” He added: “From a fan standpoint the backdrops of these city centres can really make compelling television and pictures.”

Asked if that meant more street circuits in Asia, he said: “Yes, two.” 

In the last five years the Indian and Korean Grands Prix have both fallen off the race calendar, while Malaysia has announced that this year’s race will be the last due to rising costs and low returns. Talks are ongoing about extending Singapore’s contract.