For the past century, Formula One has struggled to find a dedicated home in the US. The sport pinballed from Sebring to Watkins Glen to Phoenix to Indianapolis. All the while, the sport was visiting race circuits in various countries around the world that quickly became regular fixtures on the F1 calendar. Tracks like Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, and Suzuka have become iconic destinations for Formula One race car action and continue to write new chapters of racing history to the present day.
However, it seems that Formula One has now found permanent homes (yes plural) in the US. The rise in popularity within the sport has persuaded owners Liberty Media to bring more F1 races to the United States of America. It is an exciting time for F1 fans in the US with the potential for more races to be added to the current collection of US circuits on the F1 calendar in Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas. We will give you a couple of reasons below to highlight why it is about time the US opened its doors fully to Formula One.
Indianapolis 2005 fiasco forgiven
F1’s stock in the US took a devastating hit in 2005 when only six cars took to the starting grid for the main event. A new track surface meant that cars supplied with Michelin tires were not safe to drive, resulting in these teams pulling out of the race at the last minute. Not only fans that probably had bets on a driver with sportsbooks like Cloudbet, but the paying audience was left in disgust at the sight of six cars, two Ferraris, Jordans and Minardis completing the seventy-three laps. However, nearly two decades later, the ghost of 2005 has been well and truly banished.
The entertainment factor
Netflix cannot take full responsibility for Formula One’s popularity, but it is certainly true that the Drive to Survive documentaries have given the sport a huge boost in following. The series of episodes that followed drivers around in their track and personal lives suddenly gave the sport personalities that people could resonate with and has blazed a trail for other sports to do similar. More importantly, the documentaries explained how the sport works in an uncomplicated way and turned people who previously had zero interest in the sport into avid race watchers.
Where next in the US?
With Miami and Las Vegas enjoying their F1 debuts in 2022 and 2023 respectively, you would be forgiven for thinking that the US is F1-ed out for now. However, keep an eye on developments over in New Jersey. A plan to develop a 2.4-mile race circuit was approved in March 2023, which is estimated to take six to nine years to finish. The US is ready to continue writing its own history with Formula One.
