F1 hoping to secure second Grand Prix in China
- Published on 24 Jan 2019 12:52
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Formula 1's global commercial boss says it would love to have China host a second world championship race. The country has hosted a Grand Prix every year since 2004 at the Shanghai International Circuit.
While F1's owners Liberty Media is keen to boost the sport in the United States, head of global sponsorship and commercial partnerships Murray Barnett stated to China's state news agency Xinhua that F1 is keen to add a second Chinese race to the calendar.
"We would love to have a second race here. Probably not in the short-term, given how congested the schedule is already. But we'd certainly love to figure out a way to have another Grand Prix here."
"We're looking at a number of different things to try to generate more interest on a local basis. We can't just be here for the three days of the Grand Prix. We need to have a year-round presence here and be much more locally relevant in order to really establish a big fanbase here."
One way in which it could attract a big fanbase is having a Chinese driver in the series. Guan Yu Zhou, who was part of the Ferrari driver academy, has recently been picked up by Renault's academy and will race in Formula 2 this year.
"We'd love to see him [in F1]," Barrett admitted. "Ultimately, that's down to the teams, but I think even they recognise what a fantastic opportunity China is. You never know, we might see him in F1 very soon."
After losing Malaysia following the 2017 season, Liberty Media secured its first new race by signing a deal with Vietnam, which will be the latest Asian country to feature on the calendar when it hosts its maiden Grand Prix in 2020.
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Replies (3)
Login to replytalktohenry
Posts: 362
F1 in China is as popular as basketball is here, they have no tradition of racing, yes it might grow, but not alot and the grand stands empty for China at the moment so not sure how this will work, but suppose ya gotta give it a try!
f1dave
Posts: 782
No you don't.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I'd prefer to have it in another region. Yes, China is a big country, and a country with deep pockets, but it seems a bit "meh" to host multiple races in the same country. Africa could use an entry, and there certainly is a market in latin America for another race, however it doesnt seem financially reasonable to host it in either region, aside from maybe Argentina. Thailand, if they could afford is, is another candidate in the Asian region. Their Buriram circuit is really nice.