Franz Tost believes Formula 1 should limit the amount of races it has in Europe and expand its product to cover more of the globe, feeling there are places around the world that need to be visited but currently are not.
The Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal feels Formula 1 should make a return to South Africa, which last hosted a Grand Prix back in 1993, while Argentina and India are important markets that should also be added back onto the calendar. Tost also believes that the United States should host more than one Grand Prix on top of the race at the Circuit of the Americas.
In 2017, seven of the twenty races will be held in Europe, while the French Grand Prix, and possibly the German Grand Prix, will return to the calendar in 2018, but Tost feels there is too much emphasis on European races.
“For me, we must head to other destinations,” said Tost to Austrian publication Tiroler Tageszeitung. “There are too many Grand Prix in Europe.
“I know that I have a different view compared to my colleagues, but we should go to South Africa, we need more races in US, we need to go to Argentina, and India would also be a really important market.
“Formula 1 is a global sport. In 2015, in total half a billion fans watched our races live. Such numbers are only achieved by the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games. But we have [races] every two weeks. So you see – the product still works fine, but something should be done [about its reach].”
