Liberty Media's plans for China will add another street race to F1

Liberty Media

Liberty's plans for China will add another street race to F1

Have we already got enough?

Matthew Scott

Wednesday 17 April 2019 12:21

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Liberty Media's attempts to add a second a second race in China to the Formula 1 calendar, would likely see another street race added to the schedule, Sean Bratches has confirmed. A new street race in Vietnam has been added to the 2020 calendar, with another in Miami being sought.

Liberty has made no secret of desires to add additional races in China and the United States in an attempt to bolster F1's popularity in two huge markets.

Street races are not universally popular among fans, with overtaking traditionally more difficult in events in Monaco, Australia and Singapore.

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In Shanghai last weekend for the third race of 2019, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: "Why not go to Hong Kong or Beijing?"

Wolff said China is a big market for the sport and for manufacturers like Mercedes, and it seems that F1's commercial boss Bratches agrees.

A report by the French news agency AFP said a street race in Beijing is being considered.

"In terms of interest, we would be highly interested in a street race," Bratches confirmed.

"It would be a nice juxtaposition to the purpose-built, extraordinary facility that we have here."

After the Chinese Grand Prix, it was reported that F1 chief executive Chase Carey travelled directly to Vietnam to check out the site of a 2020 street race in Hanoi.

But Bratches said Liberty Media chiefs are actually touring China this week.

"There's meetings set up in each [city] with government officials to talk about identifying a second city to host a grand prix," he said.

"We think there's an opportunity to grow from that perspective."

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone criticised the decision to host the sport's 1000th race in China rather than at Silverstone, the scene of the first race in 1950.

But Bratches said: "We have no regrets about it and we'd make the same decision."