Along with the Olympics and the World Cup, Incheon City has begun to host the F1 Grand Prix, one of the world's three major sports events, in Incheon.
Incheon Metropolitan City announced on the 7th that Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok made a surprise visit to Japan on the 6th and met with the F1 chief executive officer attending the Suzuka Grand Prix to begin full-scale discussions on delivering a letter of intent to host the F1 Grand Prix and hosting Incheon.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with Formula One Group CEO Stefano Dominicali, F1 Korean partner Taehwa Holdings Chairman Kang Na-yeon, and Taehwa NCSC CEO Nicolas Chenot to deliver a letter of intent to host the F1 Incheon Grand Prix.
At the meeting, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok emphasized that Incheon is a world-class city with global airports and ports, 12 luxury hotels, and 15 international organizations as well as overseas Korean offices.
Unlike the Japanese and Chinese competitions held at exclusive stadiums, the F1 Incheon Grand Prix, which will be hosted this time, will be held in downtown races like Monaco and Las Vegas.
The Incheon Grand Prix is expected to be held annually for at least five years after hosting the first event in 2026 or 2027.
F1 CEO Stefano Dominicali said, "I would like to thank Mayor Yoo Jung-bok for visiting the Japanese Grand Prix in person and actively expressing his intention to attract F1," adding, "Let's pay a lot of attention to the F1 Incheon Grand Prix and work together to hold it successfully. I will visit Incheon as soon as possible for follow-up discussions," he responded.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited the stadium where the 2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka Circuit (2024 F1 Japan Grand Prix Suzuka Circuit) will be held on the 7th to examine the circuit, facilities and surrounding environments with F1 CEO Stefano Dominicali and Dromo CEO Jarno Zaffelli, who is in charge of F1 circuit design.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok emphasized, "Incheon, which has convenient transportation networks such as Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port and many luxury accommodation facilities such as complex casino resorts, is the best place to host F1."
Meanwhile, at the circuit (6.2 km) held in Las Vegas in November last year, about 320,000 people gathered from home and abroad to watch the F1 Grand Prix, and the economic effect of Las Vegas was estimated to be at least $1.3 billion (1.75 trillion won).
