Thailand seeks to host first Formula One race

Thailand is in talks to host its first ever Formula One race in 2014, the country's tourism and sports minister said on Monday.

"It's unlikely we'll have any problem," Chumpol Silpa-archa told AFP, adding that negotiations with Formula One's governing body, the FIA, were more than halfway through.

But he said the country was still looking for a suitable venue as an existing track in the seaside resort of Pattaya, about an hour's drive from the capital Bangkok, is "not perfect".

"We will discuss the possibilities and will know more in the next few weeks," Chumpol said.

The move would mark a new milestone in F1's drive into Asia, where Singapore, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Japan and India will all host races next year according to the FIA schedule announced on Friday.

Formula One Red Bull driver Mark Webber was greeted by an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 people when he raced a show car through the streets of Bangkok in December 2010 as part of birthday celebrations for the Thai king.