Govt shuns Bangkok F1 race as 'unlawful'

[buksida]

Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Phurisrisak insists a Formula One race cannot be held in greater Bangkok because it is unlawful.

His comment came after Michael de Santiesteban from Red Bull met Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone last week.

According to Santiesteban, a key person who is trying to bring Formula One to Thailand, Ecclestone still wants the event to take place in Bangkok.

Full Story: Bangkok Post

[oakdale160]

F! has become boring--F1 BKK could be great--run on a street circuit. Of course many Thais would ignore the closure of the streets and continue to drive their BMWs and Mercs among the race cars--a whole new F!

[buksida]

This could be why it was deemed unlawful, can you imagine Seb Vettel screaming round a corner and colliding with a motorbike coming up the track the wrong way ...

[Pleng]

Much as I'd love the opportunity to have F1 on my doorstep (providing they dump the Pijelly and get a proper tyre manufacturer in!) the last thing F1 needs is another street race, anywhere!

I'm not an expert in sports but for the 40 million dollars it would cost *annually* to hold the street race, wouldn't in no be better to invest in the country's football team and try and coach them up to actually have a stab at qualifying for the world cup. This would surely drive the nation into much more of a frenzy than an F1 race and have much more marketable appeal.

I say this objectively as somebody who can't think of anything worse than *more* football fever in Thailand!

[sargeant]

I wonder if Red Bull and fast cars on BKK streets goes down well with the police at the moment

[STEVE G]

Surely motor sports should be on circuits far from where anyone lives, the noise is appalling and I wouldn't want one anywhere near where I was living. Can't they build a circuit out of the city somewhere? Ideally in an industrial area that is already polluted.

[buksida]

Bangkok to Hua Hin.

Though I reckon some of the F1 drivers would struggle trying to keep up with the minivans!

[HHCanuck]

Most Thai drivers already believe they are driving in a F1 race everyday. Nothing new for them only flashier cars without mufflers.

[DSB]

Can you imagine the start of the race, the red light count down, then about 100 motorcy taxis pushing to get to the front of the queue - then the pit lane being transformed in to a night market within 10 minutes......

[Dr Mike]

But surely, the Thai traffic police will be in charge of preventing all these abuses!