NEW YORK - From early roots in the 1950s as a largely European-based racing series, Formula One has expanded across the world into five continents. In the last 15 years, races were added in Bahrain, China, South Korea, India and Azerbaijan.
"With Liberty, we are taking a much more strategic approach to where we go racing," said Chloe Targett-Adams, the sport's global director of promoters and business relations. "In Vietnam, we have an incredibly exciting and emerging market," she said. It is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and it has not before hosted major events on a global scale.
"We're also going to be returning to the Netherlands in the coming year, the first time a grand prix will be held there since 1985, when Niki Lauda won." The two new grands prix will bring the 2020 schedule to 22. The loss of Germany for 2020 comes despite German success in the sport. From 1994 to 2004, Michael Schumacher of Germany won seven drivers' championships and remains the all-time leader. A German driver has also won five of the nine titles since 2010, and Mercedes has won the championship every year since 2014.
"If you start taking away the legendary races, and it's all just new ones, you lose all the history and all the culture, which makes Formula One what it is," he said.