Alexander Albon was scared with he reached after tremor hit Thailand due to earthquake in Myanmar, as he adds on meet with Prime Minister to discuss F1 Thailand GP.
A 7.7 earthquake hit Myanmar last week, the affects of which was felt in Thailand as well, which is roughly 1200 km far apart. Co-incidently, Williams’ Albon was on his way to his home country when the tremors were felt. He reached 30 minutes after the quake hit.
He recalls seeing people panicking at the airport, which was scary for him. His hotel had cracks all-around, but he was happy to see people in good spirits. “We came right after the earthquake as well so that was a bit tricky to navigate,” said Albon to media. “But [it’s] good to see people in good spirits for the most part, glad that it wasn’t more damaged. Like our hotel room got damaged really badly, like cracks everywhere.
“I’m just surprised that the majority of the buildings stayed up. It was a bit scary but all good. I landed 30 minutes after it happened. So when I landed it was like DEFCON 3 and everyone freaking out. And I was like, what’s going on? It was almost surreal because I didn’t have data on my phone so I only could see people panicking and I didn’t know what was going on.
“So it was a bit scary. There’s no tribute here, but obviously I am trying to help personally but not in terms of public thing,” summed up Albon. The Thai racer was on a business trip to Thailand. He met Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to discuss about a potential grand prix in Bangkok.
His visit happened after F1 boss Stefano Domenicali met Shinawatra as well. They are tight-lipped about the discussions and how far they are into the talks, but reports from the country noted about signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for a grand prix to take place potentially from 2028 onward.
Albon backs the bid from Thailand to host a F1 grand prix. He feels they are serious about it as he cites some examples like the country hosting MotoGP opening ceremony and also its opening race. “Really good, being totally honest, a bit hectic, going back to the sim and then coming out to Thailand,” he started.
“Obviously we’re trying to help get the Thai GP under way and seeing how we can help. I spoke with him [Domenicali] in China, he went to see the Prime Minister. So I saw the PM a week after Stefano did. It’s moving along, obviously nothing’s finalised but it’s really good to see the commitment from Thailand. They’re taking it very seriously. And I think as a product, they have a very strong product.
“If you see the projects…if you see how serious they are. I’ve seen a generic look at what they’re trying to do with it. And yeah, it looks good, I don’t think I can say [much more]. So I’d rather stay quiet on it. Again, I don’t want to say too much but I’m following a lot of interesting events. Thailand’s not as big in terms of the most sports scene as maybe Japan is.
“Obviously with Honda and Toyota and all these huge brands. Saying that, they do have quite a big bike passion. And of course with MotoGP, they had their full race one and opening ceremony over there. It’s growing. I think the rate at which it’s growing is huge. So when I was there last week, I was shocked how much bigger it’s got, even from last year and then when I think about 2019 to where we are now, it’s more than tripled, quadrupled its size.
“It must really need a bit of work and that’s kind of part of why I’m speaking to the prime minister. It’s how can we build the hype and build the fascination for it. It’s not that accessible on TV as it is in other countries. And it’s behind a subscription service. So things like that limits its viewership.
“We’ve seen how Formula 1 has made its way to a younger and younger generation and a more diverse population. It’s still in that beginning phase. So the majority of people who are interested in Formula 1 aren’t your casual viewers, where you’re getting growth in other countries,” summed up Albon.
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