, there have been two Formula One drivers from Thailand. Thai drivers have entered Formula One Grands Prix, scoring points between them.
Alex Albon is the only Thai driver to have achieved a podium or set the fastest lap. No Thai driver has ever won a race or taken pole position.
Prince Birabongse Bhanudej, who competed as Prince Bira, made his debut in in a Maserati, racing for Enrico Platé. Thailand's second driver, Alex Albon, made his debut in with Toro Rosso, before being promoted to Red Bull Racing after 12 races. In , he joined Williams Racing.
Current drivers
Alex Albon is the second Formula One driver to race under the Thai flag. He made his debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso. He scored 16 points with the team, before being promoted to Red Bull Racing ahead of the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix. He ended the season with 92 points, finishing 8th in the World Drivers' Championship.
Albon achieved his, and Thailand's, only two podiums at the 2020 Tuscan and Bahrain Grands Prix. He finished in 7th place with 105 points, and was demoted to reserve driver for the following season with Sergio Perez taking his seat at Red Bull Racing.
Albon returned to the sport in with Williams Racing, where he has been racing ever since. During this time, he has driven over one hundred races with the team, surpassing Nigel Mansell's record for most race starts with them. He also achieved his, and Thailand's, first and only fastest lap at the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix.
Former drivers
Prince Bira was the first Thai Formula One driver. He was also the only Southeast Asian driver to compete in the sport until Alex Yoong joined in . Between and , he entered twenty-one Formula World Championship races and started nineteen. He drove in the sport's inaugural race, starting fifth in Enrico Platé's Maserati 4CLT, before ultimately retiring due to a fuel shortage. Over his career, he also raced for Gordini and Connaught, Scuderia Milano and two privateer teams he owned.
Bira scored 8 points in Formula One. His highest finish was fourth, which he achieved at both the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix and the 1954 French Grand Prix. He finished 8th and 17th in the and seasons, respectively. He was not classified in the World Drivers' Championship for the other four years of his career.
The Bira Circuit, opened in 1986, is named after him.
All-time table DriversActive YearsEntriesWinsPodiumsCareer PointsPolesFastest Laps–22 entries (19 starts)00800–, – ( starts)Sources:
Notes
References