Why is there no F1 in the Philippines?

There was a Philippines Grand Prix, once

From 1973 to 1976, a Philippines Grand Prix ran on a 3.2 km street circuit in Greenhills, San Juan, in Metro Manila. It was for Formula Atlantic and later Formula Pacific cars, smaller single-seaters than F1. New Zealand's Graeme Lawrence won it twice. A 1977 race was planned and then cancelled, and motor racing in the country went quiet for almost 20 years.

No circuit is ready

An F1 race needs a circuit with the FIA's Grade 1 licence, the highest there is. That means room for up to 100,000 spectators, a permanent medical centre, and run-off and barriers built to F1 speeds. The country's main tracks, Clark International Speedway in Pampanga and Batangas Racing Circuit, would both need major upgrades to get there, Rolling Stone Philippines reports.

A street race, like Singapore's, avoids building a permanent track but still has to meet the same standards on public roads for the race weekend.

What it would cost

Rolling Stone Philippines put the minimum at ₱9 billion per race. That covers a hosting fee to F1 of up to US$50 million (about ₱2.9 billion) a year and around ₱1 billion to maintain a circuit, before anything is built. Singapore's race cost between S$135 million and S$140 million in 2022.

Then there's getting people there. A Grand Prix moves crowds of up to 100,000 a day, and the rail lines that would carry them aren't finished: the Metro Manila Subway is due in 2029, and the North–South Commuter Railway, with a station at Clark airport, in 2031.

Has anyone tried?

Not formally. In January 2019, F1's owners filed trademarks in the Philippines for the names Philippine Grand Prix and Manila Grand Prix, Spin.ph reported. Companies file names like that to protect them, not to announce a race, and no race followed.

No Philippine government agency has bid for a race since. In October 2026 President Marcos went to the Singapore Grand Prix, but the Palace said the trip was about meeting business leaders face to face, not bringing the race home.

Southeast Asia shows how hard it is

Vietnam built a circuit in Hanoi for a race in April 2020. The pandemic cancelled it, and it has never run. Malaysia raced from 1999 to 2017, then dropped F1 over cost. Thailand's government approved a US$1.23 billion bid in June 2025 for a Bangkok street race from 2028 to 2032.

If a second permanent race comes to the region beside Singapore, Thailand is further along than anyone. For the Philippines, the honest answer is that it needs a Grade 1 circuit, a government willing to pay, and the trains to get fans there, and none of the three exists yet.