Dietrich Mateschitz has long been a man with ambitions in motor racing. He has been involved in the sport since the very beginning of the Red Bull story, when the then new drinks company had a personal sponsorship deal with Gerhard Berger. He then became the sponsor of Sauber and ultimately bought the Jaguar Racing and Minardi teams to become Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso. He also acquired the Osterreichring, which is now known as the Red Bull Ring. On top of all of this he has invested in a NASCAR team and in any number of personal sponsorships in the junior formulae, in rallying, touring car racing and so on. His ambition is to win the World Championship, while at the same time increasing sales of his celebrated energy drink.
What is not well known is that Mateschitz owns only 49% of the business. His partner Chaleo Yoovidhya, a Thai national, owns another 49%, while Yoovidhya’s son Chalerm owns the remaining two percent, having been the man who introduced the two major partners. That was back in the early 1980s. The deal was that Mateschitz would run the business, but that the Thais would have nominal control. Chaleo (78) is now the richest person in Thailand, with a fortune estimated at $4 billion, thanks to Red Bull, and to other products that are produced by his TC Pharmaceuticals company, which continues to market the original energy drink Krating Daeng (on which Red Bull is based) in the Asian markets. The success of the Red Bull business has enabled Chalerm to become Thailand’s most celebrated winemaker, while also being the co-owner of Cavallino Motors, a joint venture with the Bhirombhakdi Family, which owns the Singha Beer company. Singha was recently seen as a sponsor on the Red Bull-Renaults in F1 and said that this was designed to promote Formula 1 in Thailand, which would automatically create interest in Ferrari.
Now Chalerm is saying that he wants to build a F1 circuit in Thailand, so that there can be a Thai Grand Prix. He says that this will help to boost the tourism industry in the country. The country does have a 1.5-mile circuit near the seaside resort of Pattaya. This was built in 1985 and named after Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh (known in Europe as “Prince Bira”) who raced Grand Prix cars with some success in the 1940s and 1950s. This is not suitable for Formula 1.
The shift of F1 towards Asia means that Thailand should be considered a sensible contender if Red Bull is willing to put up the money. Why not a Red Bull Ring in Asia, as well as in Austria?
Another interesting article – never would I have thought that reading Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog would result in my learning so much on topics as diverse and Thai energy drinks, the horrors of Fishing, French Air Traffic Control strikes, Motor Racing and the economic situation in the US state of Texas!
Sir, I am in your debt…it’s this kind of stuff that makes your blog and GP+ so entertaining.
Sounds good. Who misses out though?
You raise some interesting points Joe, but I feel the Asian expansion is nearing an end. Providing South Korea and India manage to get their tracks built, there is very little leeway left in the calendar, and a western expansion with a second race in the US is more likely.
Another circuit is being constucted near Khao Yai, about 2hrs drive north of Bangkok, but according to the press here a few months ago, will not attain “international specs”.
I’d love to see F1 here in Thailand, but struggle to think how anyone could make money from it. Whilst the other “developing” nations like China and India have sizable emerging middle classes with the necessary funds to buy a ticket, Thailand doesn’t. Yes there is a well-off Bangkok-based section, but it’s a tiny fraction of the numbers compared to those other two.
I hope I’m proven wrong though, and look forward to the day I can come to one of your F1 seminars here!
Nick
Hmmm, if there is a circuit in Thailand, we will have 3 races in South East Asia, with thailand in the north, 1500 km south is Singapore GP and Sepang GP sandwiched smack in the middle.
Even now the arrangement of Sepang GP beginning of the season and Singapore at the end of the season sees a drop in attendance on the Malaysian side. Having another GP will almost seem certain Malaysia will lose it.
Being Malaysian and having travelled to both countries quite a bit, With exception of South East Asia (with exception of Singapore/Brunei) are generally poor, can’t really afford to go watch Formula 1. Sure each race attracts foreign tourist etc, but the bulk of a 100,000 heads at a race are still local.
wow!! this is crazy, Malaysia GP, Singapore GP, and now Thailand GP?? a couple years later, Indonesia GP and Timor Leste GP maybe?? Enough with F1 GP in South East Asia. Malaysia and Singapore is enough. Beside that Thailand is not very safe country for F1 compared to Malaysia and Singapore. There is conflict at the south region and riot at Bangkok that can start again anytime.
I like the idea of the expansion of motorsport into Asia. My only concern is that it appears that in some Asian countries, there doesn’t seem to be much of grass roots motorsport scene, and therefore not much a ready made fan base to tap into. Maybe the lack of a grass roots scene is because the proportion of car ownership isn’t as high as most western countries. Inversely it seems that the proportion of motorbike ownership is quiet high in some Asian countries.
So maybe rather than Formula 1, the way for motorsport to get a foot in the door, in Asia, would be through motorbike racing, rather than F1.
Sounds great! Lessee…
(1) Find swamp.
(2) Ensure no less than 250 km away from nearest city.
(3) Obtain doodle Hermann Tilke made while on phone with his tailor.
(4) Build circuit.
Seen this Joe? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11480367
Moves to make a Uk streetrace more likely.
I live now in Birmingham, and every so often the council gets enthused about reviving the Superprix until they realise all the obstacles in their way.
Sadly it was before my time, but having looked up where the circuit was, there were one or two insanely tight sections.
At this rate, how long before someone proposes an Antarctica Grand Prix?
Interesting article. The only problem with it is all I can think of now is oh no not another Tilke circuit.
Anyone who has ever tried to drive in Bangkok will find that all the drama one needs can be found in a taxi. F1 has nothing on a Tuk-Tuk driver.
Better still, let’s put the entire grid in equally matched Tuk-Tuks and see which gets us to the airport faster. That would be the real Grand Prix of Thailand.
At the end of the second paragraph you mention Singha sponsoring the Red Bull-Renaults was designed to promote F1 in Thailand which would automatically create interest in Ferrari.
I’m a little confused… how does Singha sponsoring the Red Bull’s automatically create interest in Ferrari?
It doesn’t feel quite right for one company to basically have two teams AND host a Grand Prix… does it?
Is getting silly now. I am sure Bernie will let anyone pay for a first class + girls trip to their country for a ‘talk’ that goes nowhere.
It would just be another Turkish Grand Prix
Joe – is there any chance, however tiny, that Hermann Tilke could NOT be asked to design this one (if it comes to fruition that is).
Has this guy got some kind of contract with F1, photos of Bernie in a compromising position or is he just some kind of networking marvel?
Race tracks are such a big ticket item that there can’t really be that many more in the pipeline after this current surge is over and it would be a shame if he has completely annexed the market.
I don’t even think his are anything exceptional. I remember not so long ago when he did his first couple that they were being described as clinical and boring and although people seem to think they are getting better, i still think they are too identikit. They look the same, particularly on TV, no matter what country you are in.
I think the best tracks have some sort of individual/accidental quirk about certain corners that has come about organically or historically; not something that you get with one of Tilke’s corporate copy cats.
Please can someone else have a go, there must be other track designers out there?
old biker,
Apparently not…
1 to ash’s comment
how’s that Korean track doing?
Singapore is not a Tilke design. He did do a sketch, but the version they chose is very different from it and run in an opposite direction. So, it’s not impossible…
[...] history, tradition and completed infrastructure like Imola, Magny-Cours and … Indianapolis. Thailand is the next target. At this rate, more than half of the races in the World Championship will take place in the Middle [...]
From what I understand the detailed design for Singapore was done by Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR). I don’t know if they have been involved in the on going modifications though.
Dear Joe,
Can you please hide Tilke’s phone, quick ?
On a longer term basis, we really need rid of this guy and his rubbish tracks, before we get Thai’d to another one.
Just was boring to see a recently night race in Singapore. Too much advertisement and all car racing like singapore MRT train
which felt sleepy which watching.
So interesting to see F1 GP in Thailand.