U.S.-based fans will see what the rest of the world raves about, Formula 1 racing. But will it draw more American fans to a sport that takes place mostly outside of the States?
Courtesy Motorsport, com
With four rounds already completed in the expanding 2022 Formula 1 schedule, this weekend brings quite a change as the first of two races in the United States will take place. This week’s venture–a maiden voyage–is in Miami, Florida, on a track located around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Later F1 will be in Texas.
The hype is palatable, but the big question is whether the Miami race will succeed. If it does, then might it bump the iconic Monaco Grand Prix from the Formula 1 schedule? No matter how this weekend goes, the immediate answer is no because the principality has signed a new extension. But that’s for now, especially if a third U.S.-based race comes to pass in 2023. The latest addition would be in another iconic location, Las Vegas, Nevada.
While all of this is exciting with prospects that shoot for the moon, historically, nothing is new.
Long Beach, Detroit, and Watkins Glen held three races in the 1980s, but those venues didn’t generate sufficient interest to sustain the schedule. Detroit’s primary sponsor went bust and Watkins Glen–perhaps the most iconic U.S. tracks– couldn’t keep up with the times. Long Beach switched to IndyCar. Then there were tries in Dallas (1984-1996), Las Vegas (1981-1984), Phoenix (1989-91), and Indianapolis (2008-2015).
That said, today things are looking up, largely because of the Austin race, which made its debut only a few years after Indianapolis. It has been successful, too, not only hosting an F1 race but also WEC and regularly-held yearly events in MotoGP and NASCAR.
Now, the F.I.A. and the F.O.M want to build on that success with Miami this year and in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Weekend 2023 in a race that will be held on the world-famous Strip.
Then, there are U. S.-based teams–only one, Haas, exists at the moment–but another team, led by an iconic name, Andretti, may come on board in 2024.
So, in the end, will Formula 1 make it big here? There have been plenty of attempts, but this time seems different. Let’s give it one more go and see if this time is the charm. If it succeeds, we can genuinely say that Formula 1 is a worldwide sport.
