Glamor, prestige, money: Formula 1 wants to crack USA with “3G” formula

Glamor, prestige, money
Formula 1 wants to crack USA with “3G” formula

Glamor, prestige, money: Formula 1 wants to crack the US market, the hotspot of the future, with this “3G” formula. US investors are discovering teams as an investment, a second race is added, thanks to Netflix there are new fans. But a driver is still missing.

In the USA, as is well known, a lot is a size bigger. Cars, refrigerators, the portions in the diner – or bumps on a racetrack. The “Circuit of The Americas” in Austin, where Formula 1 takes place on Sunday (9 p.m. CEST / Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de) Guest for the 17th of 22 races of the season, is feared for its bumpy road by the drivers around Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

By the time the premier class arrives, the coarsest “ski jumps” (Vettel) in Texas should be removed. Complaints about a dilapidated asphalt runway shouldn’t tarnish the US Grand Prix. The race has to be a success. There is a lot at stake. Glamor, prestige, money – Formula 1 has long identified the lucrative US market as the hotspot of the future. “The USA is a big challenge for us. We have to make sure that we approach it correctly,” said Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali: “We want to show our American fans who we are.”

Past attempts to sustainably establish the sport, which is shaped in Europe, in the land of NASCAR and the IndyCar series, failed. It was driven on the street circuit of Long Beach, California, there were races in the parking lot of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, in Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix. Events like the 2005 farce race in Indianapolis damaged the reputation of Formula 1 on the other side of the Atlantic. After a five-year break from the US, Austin / Texas has been hosting the US Grand Prix since 2012, and has so far been successful. A second US race will take place in Miami / Florida in 2022. Domenicali did not want to rule out the possibility of a third US race in the end.

Netflix boom

Cash is king. In Formula 1 this is nothing new. For the coming season, the US owner Liberty Media plans with the record calendar of 23 races. The former core market of Europe is becoming less important. The USA are becoming more important – and with their shine and glitter should also offer a cultural counterbalance to the Arab desert races. That goes down well with the American audience. An increased interest can be seen, the presale for Miami is reportedly going well. It is driven not least by the successful Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive”, which appeals primarily to the young audience. “Netflix turned people who weren’t interested in Formula 1 into hardcore fans overnight,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

The 49-year-old Californian knows the other side of the increased US influence in Formula 1. The traditional racing team McLaren sold shares to a US investment company (MSP Sports Capital) at the end of 2020. Representatives of the Williams racing team described the US Grand Prix as the second home race after it was taken over by the US investment group Dorilton Capital. The next big takeover is apparently already being planned. Ex-Formula 1 driver Michael Andretti is allegedly facing a million dollar deal with the traditional Swiss racing team Sauber, which currently competes in Formula 1 under the name Alfa Romeo. “If there is a chance to bring the Andretti name back into F1, we would jump on it,” racefans.net quoted an Andretti spokesman as saying.

Perhaps Andretti would then also bring the first American regular driver since Scott Speed ​​(2007) into Formula 1. The second seat at Alfa Romeo next to Valtteri Bottas is the last free cockpit for 2022.

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