The new Formula 1 (F1) season kicked off with the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, where British driver Lando Norris won the McLaren team the year’s first P1 trophy. Those who attended the race at the Melbourne street circuit had to bring their umbrellas out and watch the cars slip over the tracks, but the weather was not an issue for the #TeamBahay Filipino fans who watched the race through their screens.
The growth in the motorsport’s Filipino viewership is attributable to Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive reality series and Filipina racing driver Bianca Bustamante’s rise to fame after she joined the 2023 and 2024 seasons of the all-female F1 Academy. The Philippines’ official F1 broadcaster, beIN Sports, told One Sports that engagement on its streaming app had “shot up” significantly after it acquired broadcast rights.
“We’re not talking about two-fold, three-fold; it’s like 100 times more interest in the app, and that’s the go-to destination now for F1 fans,” said Magdalene Ng, beIN Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice President for Marketing and Communication.
To meet this rising demand, fan communities and barcades host watch parties. Those who can afford it fly out to the closest hosting countries, Australia and Singapore, to watch the races live. Still, these new developments in the local racing community beg an age-old question: Will we ever see a Philippine Grand Prix?
High Costs
There are many moving parts to making an F1 race happen, but its most basic requirement is a Grade One track. While the Clark International Speedway in Clark, Pampanga and Batangas Racing Circuit in Rosario, Batangas meet the length requirements at 4.2 km and 3.5 km respectively, their facilities will need major upgrades if either were to get a Grade One certification from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the motorsport governing body. Ideally, these facilities could accommodate up to 100,000 spectators and thousands of personnel working for the teams, race operations, and support. News site Motorsport estimates that each F1 team has up to 1,200 personnel. The circuit will also need a permanent and dedicated medical center to service and treat serious injuries.
According to Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, the cost of hosting the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix was “between $135 million and $140 million [in Singapore dollars],” 60 percent of which was covered by the government. The remaining costs are usually covered by private entities and promoters.
“The types of costs that the government co-funded comprised items such as maintenance of the racetrack, setting up infrastructure for the event such as grandstands, hospitality suites, and providing security and medical services during the event,” said Gan. While specific costs for maintaining circuits are not disclosed to the public, estimates are reported to be at $18.5 million or approximately P1 billion, depending on the circuit’s location and facilities.
On top of these costs, each circuit is required to pay F1 owner Liberty Media an annual hosting fee of up to $50 million in US dollars, or P2.9 billion. In total, the Philippines would have to spend at least P9 billion for one racing event. To compare, P6 billion, excluding infrastructure, was allocated to the Philippine Sports Commission for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the last major international sporting event the Philippines hosted.
A Different Kind of Track
The costs don’t even cover improvements to the country’s transportation infrastructure, which would be crucial to moving tourists and local spectators around Manila and — if we don’t set up a street circuit instead — Pampanga or Batangas.
The country’s best bet is in two rail transport projects that are currently underway: the Metro Manila Subway and the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
The Metro Manila Subway, which currently has an approved budget of P355 billion, is set to be the country’s first underground railway system connecting the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to the rest of Metro Manila. The system, stretching from Valenzuela City to Bicutan, Taguig City, is expecting completion by 2029 and boasts a capacity of 1.5 million passengers, according to the National Economic and Development Authority.
NSCR is set to move passengers between Clark and Calamba, Laguna and will have a station at Clark International Airport. With the capacity to move 800,000 passengers and a current budget of P873.62 billion, the NSCR is expected to be completed by 2031.
Ultimately, there’s much to consider before the Philippines dips its toes in the global motorsport phenomenon. Between high but attainable standards to meet, hefty costs, and efforts to improve urban mobility, it will take years before Filipino F1 fans get to watch a race in a home circuit, but it isn’t impossible.
