ASEAN Arenas: Southeast Asian Countries That Have Hosted Motorsport Events

Southeast Asian countries are well-known for tourism, and that is why many events choose these countries as their host as a way to better connect with local fans and followers. Motorsports are no different; Singapore and Malaysia have hosted Formula One World Championship races before, and Thailand is in talks to become the third-ever ASEAN nation to host the event. But, what about other classes of motorsports? Let’s discuss and explore ASEAN’s connection with the fastest spectacles on earth.

Malaysia: Formula One and MotoGP

In 1999, Malaysia became the second-ever Asian nation and first Southeast Asia country to host the premier class of motorsport, mainly due to the sport’s close affiliation with PETRONAS, the Malaysian state-owned oil company. Races were held at the Sepang International Circuit on nineteen occasions from 1999 to 2017 and saw many memorable and iconic performances. In the first-ever Malaysian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher returned from his leg injury to out-qualify every one on the grid by one second. On the 10th anniversary in 2009, Jenson Button won after 55 minutes due to heavy rain which caused a premature race stop. In 2015, Sebastian Vettel emulated his idol Schumacher to win his first race for Ferrari. The year after, Lewis Hamilton’s engine exploded and ultimately cost him a World Championship.

At the same time that Malaysia hosted its first-ever Formula One grand prix, it also hosted its first-ever MotoGP grand prix. The MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix ran since then until 2019, before returning in 2022 after some COVID-induced hiatus.

Top performers in Malaysia

• Most wins: F1 – Sebastian Vettel (4 times), MotoGP – Valentino Rossi (7 times)
• Most poles: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (5 poles each)
• Most podiums: Lewis Hamilton (6 podiums)

Singapore: Formula One

Not long after the inauguration of the Malaysia Grand Prix in 1999, Southeast Asia welcomes its second Formula One race in Singapore, also the first-ever Formula One World Championship race to be held exclusively at night. The track quickly gained notoriety due to its unforgiving turns and chicanes, especially the now-removed “Singapore Sling.” To this date, the Marina Bay Street Circuit is still the only circuit in Formula One history to have a 100% safety car record: the safety car has been deployed twenty-four times in its fourteen editions.

The “Lion of Singapore” Sebastian Vettel won a record five Singapore Grands Prix in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019; his last victory at the circuit would turn out to be his final victory in Formula One altogether. Other than this, Vettel remains the most successful driver at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in terms of the number of podiums (8 podiums) and pole positions (4 poles, shared with Lewis Hamilton).

Thailand: MotoGP

Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has pledged to host either a Formula One Grand Prix or a Formula E ePrix within the year 2027. If successful, Thailand would become the third Southeast Asian country to host the premier class of motorsports. Although the location of the circuit is still unknown, it has been speculated that the Grand Prix will be held in Chiang Mai Province in the north.

Of course, Thailand is not foreign to hosting world class motorsports events. It has held four MotoGP Grand Prixs since 2018 and will hold a few more at least until 2026. The grand prix is held at the only FIA-graded circuit in the country: the Buriram International Circuit. Marc Marquez won twice here, including in 2019 where he became the eight-time world champion, putting himself only one title short of Valentino Rossi’s all-time record. Will Marc Marquez be able to beat his record this year? Place your bets now on W88 and enjoy some good profit!

Indonesia: MotoGP, Formula E

Like Thailand, Indonesia first got its hands on the MotoGP event in late 1990s, before hosting its first Formula E race in 2019. There have been three ePrixs since then, each won by different drivers, namely, Mitch Evans in the inaugural edition, Pascal Wehrlein in the next, and Maximilian Gunther in the latest. However, the events have received quite some negative feedbacks as of late due to its high cost and terrible planning.

Formula One drivers from Southeast Asia

There have been only four drivers from Southeast Asian countries to take part in a proper Formula One World Championship race. Two are from Thailand, one from Malaysia and the other one from Indonesia.

Prince Bira (Thailand)

The first-ever driver from Southeast Asia to take part in a Formula One grand prix is Prince Bira. Prince Bira was an actual prince, son of King Rama IV, who was there since the very beginning of Formula One. Yes, he was among Fangio, Farina and Fagioli at the 1950 British Grand Prix and qualified quite well at P5. However, he had to retire due to a fuel leak. Still, he made history by becoming the first-ever Formula One driver from Southeast Asia. He eventually went on to score points in that year’s Monaco and Switzerland Grands Prix, before bowing out at the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix by finishing ninth.

Stats: 19 grand prixs started, 902 laps raced, scored 8 points (under the current points system, he would have registered 57 points)

Alex Yoong (Malaysia)

Alex Yoong was entered into the Minardi car to partner with fellow rookie Fernando Alonso in 2001. At that time, he was the first Southeast Asian in Formula One in almost half a century. The 2001 Minardi car was literally a backmarker and scored absolutely nothing close to a point. However, Yoong did enough to keep his seat at Minardi for 2002 with a new rookie teammate in Mark Webber who scored points on his debut at his home race. Yoong was sacked at the end of the year and never returned to Formula One, but at least he has a great story to tell his children of how he once went up against Alonso and Webber, both of whom would turn out to be established names in the sport.

Stats: 14 grand prixs started, 645 laps raced, scored no points.

Rio Haryanto (Indonesia)

After an impressive fourth in the 2015 GP2 series with three wins, Rio Haryanto made his way to the Formula One grid thanks to a sponsorship from the Indonesian Ministry of Sport. He joined backmarker team Manor for the 2016 season and partnered with Pascal Wehrlein. The car proved to be uncompetitive, but Wehrlein managed to score points at the Austrian Grand Prix. The funding from the Ministy soon ceased, and Haryanto was soon demoted to serve as a reserve driver, granting future race winner Esteban Ocon his Formula One debut.

Stats: 12 grand prixs started, 611 laps raced, scored no points.

Alex Albon (Thailand)

By far, the most successful Formula One driver from Southeast Asia. Alex Albon was born in the UK to a Thai mother and impressed massively in the 2018 Formula 2 Championship, where he got promoted to Formula One together with his title rivals George Russell and Lando Norris. As member of the Red Bull Academy, Albon was placed in the 2019 Toro Rosso seat before getting promoted to the senior Red Bull seat. There, he partnered would-be world champion Max Verstappen and scored his first podium in 2020. He is currently racing for Williams and are recognized as one of the top midfield drivers on the current grid.

Stats: 84 grand prixs started, 4,651 laps raced, 1 lap led, scored 228 points and 2 podiums.