With F1 happy that its three races in the USA are sufficient for that market, consideration has shifted to different areas to seize a rising worldwide curiosity in grand prix racing.
Talking at an F1 in Depth occasion in Monaco on Thursday evening, which was co-hosted by Autosport Enterprise, Maffei stated that the profitable return of the Chinese language Grand Prix confirmed what was attainable.
“We’re fortunate that we had been capable of get a Chinese language race this yr after 4 years,” he stated. “It was very profitable. The curiosity in China has exploded partially as a result of we now have a Chinese language driver.
“Critically, you see cultural id a lot when you could have drivers from a rustic, and when you could have groups from a rustic. And in order that’s been nice to see the expansion in China.
“However there’s lots of curiosity throughout Asia, as we now have curiosity from many cities. However in Asia, as you rightly level out: Thailand, Seoul, and we have had curiosity from Indonesia. There are many locations which desire a Components 1 race.
“We have now actually appeared on the intersection of the place our followers are, the place they could possibly be, who may run an awesome race, and who can frankly afford a race – and all these kinds of intersections of these three circles.
“I feel you can very simply see a second one in Southeast Asia [alongside China].”
Sebastian Vettel, Pink Bull Racing RB9 leads at first of the race
Photograph by: Patrik Lundin / Motorsport Images
Thailand’s prime minister visited final weekend’s Emilia Grand Prix as he pushes for a avenue race in Bangkok from both 2026 or 2027.
Vegas classes
Maffei was joined on the F1 in Depth occasion by main representatives of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and defined how F1 had come to grasp higher what followers wished by way of its resolution to turn out to be the race promoter of the occasion.
“We have actually modified the game in some ways,” he stated. “One in all them is that this actually was a B2B enterprise the place we actually simply dropped the product on the native promoter and so they bought it. However an increasing number of, between issues like F1TV and promotions that we now have been doing ourselves like Las Vegas, we perceive the followers higher. We’re a direct-to-consumer enterprise and we perceive their wants.
“That permits us to have higher learnings and meet their wants higher over time, together with in Las Vegas. So I am excited for what we are able to do collectively there. I feel it’ll be an awesome spectacle. And I hope it stays as thrilling a race because it was yr one.”
And off the again of what turned out to be a profitable inaugural Las Vegas grand prix final season, regardless of issues on the opening day when a drain cowl got here free, Maffei stated he anticipated this yr’s occasion to be even higher.
Requested what his hopes for the second Las Vegas Grand Prix had been, Maffei stated: “I hope we are able to get a race practically pretty much as good, and even higher. I hope we now have no monitor failures early – that may be good! That was a heartache too early.
“I feel our dry run went very effectively, and we are able to solely hope that the spectacle is pretty much as good. I count on we’ll be taught to optimise and do issues extra effectively as a result of in some circumstances we transfer so rapidly.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“I actually credit score the staff at LVGP and our companions in how rapidly we moved to get that up. To get that race from actually zero in 15 months is wonderful.
“I feel we’ll be smarter subsequent time. And we’ll be extra environment friendly and that can most likely be much less disruptive to the group.”