F1 Danish GP edges closer after latest meeting

Denmark could be set to host its first Formula 1 race as early as 2020 after the latest meeting between organisers and Liberty Media chief Chase Carey on a potential Copenhagen city street race.

Carey met officials in the Danish capital to assess the viability and costs of bringing F1 to town as the new owners look set to introduce new races on to the calendar to establish the sport in different markets.

While F1 remains popular in the Scandinavian region, boosted by the likes of Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas, Denmark also boasts its own F1 driver in Haas’s Kevin Magnussen. After discussing the proposals with Copenhagen's mayor and officials, Carey gave a glowing review and hinted at the potential of the city street race being included on the F1 calendar by 2020.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to explore a potential race here in Denmark,” Carey has been quoted by Reuters. “I think Copenhagen represents the type of location that we think can really provide a great platform.”

“Scandinavia has been a great part of our sport and having local drivers is always a plus.”

The Danish Grand Prix project is led by former minister Helge Sander and co-found and former CEO of Saxo Bank Lars Seier Christensen who feels the race would benefit the entire Scandinavian region rather than just the city – a race with an estimated budget of 300-500m Danish Krone.

“They don’t just see it as Copenhagen but as all of Scandinavia which is a potential market for them,” Christensen said.

New F1 owners Liberty Media have also shown interest in putting a race on in the Netherlands thanks to the fan interest around Max Verstappen but early inspections for a Amsterdam and a Rotterdam city street race were met with mixed reviews. Assen has also been touted as a potential F1 venue and is undergoing a review to gain a Grade 1 FIA track licence.