Asia needs another Formula One destination says racing expert Matthew Marsh
By Hugo Novales
As Formula One inches closer toward the end of its longest-ever season, former racecar driver and motorsport expert Matthew Marsh returned to the FCC to share his latest insights with a crowd of the Club’s most dedicated F1 fans.
With Second Vice President Tim Huxley moderating the discussion, Marsh first talked about McLaren’s management issues and how they impact the team’s top drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” Marsh said when reflecting on the McLaren drama in a follow-up interview after his FCC talk.
Drama — nothing new for F1 — dates back to the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix where Norris initially declined orders to allow Piastri to overtake him for first place. Piastri was in danger of being passed by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, and with just two laps remaining, Norris changed his mind, allowing Piastri to secure his first-ever F1 victory while Norris and Hamilton placed in second and third, respectively.
Since then, McLaren has experienced a variety of position swap decision disputes that threaten both the team’s stability and ranking against other F1 teams.
Marsh compared McLaren’s internal trouble with that of Red Bull, who in July sacked team principal Christian Horner 17 months after being accused of inappropriate conduct, accusations that he was later cleared of after an internal investigation. The team made several other staff changes, and unlike McLaren, continued upgrading and improving their cars.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen still stands in third place in F1’s overall rankings with 306 points while Piastri holds first with 346 and Norris holds second with 332, yet Marsh believes Red Bull’s continuous push for solid performance and improved engineering could lead to Verstappen becoming this year’s champion.
“[At] F1, we like to support the underdog,” he said. “I think most of us want to see the underdog come through, and Max [Verstappen] is now the underdog, and it’s a great story.”
Marsh went on to praise Verstappen’s performance this season, noting that he “never has a bad weekend” and secures wins consistently and without error.
“If you can win, win it now,” Marsh added, highlighting the competitive and ever-changing nature of F1.
The 2025 season has seen only three F1 races in East Asia: Round 2 in China, Round 3 in Japan, and Round 18 in Singapore. Plans for an F1 track in Vietnam have been scrapped, which could impact Thailand’s ambitions for a 2028 race. If Thailand eventually pulls out, Marsh finds that this move would be Thailand “shooting itself in the foot” out of cost and logistics concerns.
“We do need an extra race in Asia,” Marsh said.
If not Thailand, then who? Seoul in South Korea, as well as the FCC’s very home of Hong Kong are the only two potential candidates that make sense to Marsh, yet getting to this particular finish line will be just as much work (if not more) than competing in an actual F1 race. Both a visionary project leader and buy-in from government officials are key to bringing any city’s ambitions to host F1 to life.
Despite the common pushbacks to hosting an F1 race, Marsh’s stance is that the hard work in building a new F1 destination in Asia will benefit tenfold for both the local economy and national pride. He cited his experience living in Singapore where a single F1 event encapsulates the city.
“To have your city on the stage to show that you can host a Grand Prix… How proud do you feel about the fact that your nation puts on one of these — only 24 in the world — and executes it?” Marsh asked rhetorically.
Marsh also shared his views on the accuracy of F1: The Movie (2025), Ferrari’s performance in comparison to other leading F1 teams, Apple’s impact on F1, and more.
To watch the full discussion, please visit the FCC’s YouTube channel:
