Bathurst over Las Vegas F1 race for the Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel would prefer making a trek to the New South Wales region of Australia in order to race at Bathurst.

Sebastian Vettel is in a happier space in Aston Martin ahead of the 2022 season. (Image credit: Twitter)
By Niranjan Shivalkar | Jun 7, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Sebastian Vettel, a four-time former Formula One World Champion, would prefer a visit to Bathurst over the 2023 event in Las Vegas. Vettel has stated that he would like Formula 1 to visit Australia’s Mount Panorama circuit, home of the renowned Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercars event, rather than Las Vegas. The German driver would prefer making a trek to the New South Wales region of Australia in order to race at Bathurst.

New venues for F1

As the sport expands outside of Europe, F1 will hold three races in the United States starting in 2023. In addition to the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas, F1 just had its maiden Miami Grand Prix, and Las Vegas will host its first race since 1982 next year. The track will include a portion of The Strip, and the race will be staged at night to make use of the city’s neon illumination as a background.

‘That track is a monster’

Vettel explained why he wants Formula One to visit the Bathurst circuit to a local throng at an Aston Martin fans’ event at the Australian Grand Prix. “I’d rather go to Bathurst!” Take the cash we’ll take to Vegas and invest it in great tracks that already exist. That would be a real challenge. I think that track is a monster.” expressed Vettel when questioned about Las Vegas, smiling as his remarks brought in a big cheer from the audience.

Read more: F1 confirms Las Vegas night race from 2023

FIA’s track standards

Sebastian Vettle wants to compete at Mount Panorama, but doing so would need extensive upgrades to fulfill the FIA’s Grade 1 criteria. Those conditions are required for a racing venue to hold a grand prix, although according to the most recent FIA documentation, Bathurst is now just Grade 3. As of August 2021, that FIA license has likewise expired. Also the plans for its upgradation seems very vague and distant.

Well nobody knows if Formula One will go to Bathurst or not but it is definitely going to Azerbaijan for the next race on 12 June after skipping a weekend.