LAS VEGAS – It’s been 40 years since Formula One last ventured into Sin City for head-to-head races in Las Vegas held in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel.
The Europe-based series premiered in Las Vegas in 1981 and 1982, then ended with little incentive to return. Then there’s the new ownership, slick marketing, Netflix docuseries and historic championship battle, all of which help F1 exploded in popularity throughout the United States.
The US will be the only country in the 2023 calendar to host three F1 races in a following season Wednesday’s announcement of a Saturday night race down the famous Las Vegas Strip. F1 has been racing at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, since 2012, and in May it will make its debut in Miami.
Without any surprises, the existing races in Mexico City and Montreal will take F1 to North America five times next season.
Is it too much for one market?
Bobby Epstein, the president of COTA, believes there is enough interest to sustain three races in the US. He was only able to attract 100,000 spectators over three weekends five years ago; COTA had over 300,000 last year and was sold out for the race in October.
F1’s first race in Miami this May sold out in one day.
Epstein told the Associated Press: “Before we opened, there was very little interest or awareness about Formula 1 in America because they weren’t here,” Epstein told The Associated Press. you have something that people really love and come back to and not just curious about.
“What you can’t buy is history and you can’t buy tradition. You have to make it and earn it. The crowd here told us we were absolutely doing something right. “
NASCAR was the leading series in the United States and raced 13 miles from The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR last week made its second appearance at COTA.
IndyCar is the American version of F1 and the most diverse series in the world with a mix of track and street, as well as oval shape. But the open-wheel drive line has never challenged F1, even as European drivers are now moving to IndyCar.
F1 didn’t focus much on the US until Liberty Media Corp. acquired the rights to the series in 2017. The American company has since targeted an expansion into the US and received a big boost from the Netflix docuseries “Drive To Survive.”
Season four dropped ahead of the F1 season’s opening this month, and Netflix says the velvet rope lurks inside the No-rated series. first in 33 countries on opening weekend. ESPN, meanwhile, said viewership for Sunday’s race in Saudi Arabia broke the network’s one-week record and was ESPN’s largest F1 audience since 1995.
“Formula One’s momentum has been proven over the past few seasons and we’ve seen that potential come to fruition as we’ve seen our fan base really grow around the world, but especially especially in the US,” Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media, told The Associated Press.
F1 will be promoting the event alongside Liberty, which is taking on an additional role out of confidence in the market. F1 signed an initial three-year contract for the race, but the exact race date has not been revealed other than that it will be a Saturday night in November on the 3.8-mile makeshift street that will use Grand Prix. iconic Las Vegas highway.
“It’s a bit different for us in that we’re playing a bigger role because we believe in opportunity and our belief in Las Vegas,” Maffei said.
Stefano Domenicali, F1 CEO added: “The best race on the planet will take place in the entertainment capital of the world. Formula One has huge momentum and we’re growing around the world and the US is a big focus for us, there’s no doubt about that.”
No other country hosts more than two races a season. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said the city expected 170,000 visitors to the race weekend, accounting for 400,000 hotel nights and an estimated economic impact of half a billion dollars.
But when F1 chases the US dollar, it does so with very little US representation.
Michael Andretti, son of 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti, is desperate for a two-car team and $420 million takeover Sauber the team collapsed late last year. Andretti has since applied to expand to 10 teams.
He wants to bring in F1 driver Colton Herta, of California, who turned 22 on Wednesday and is an IndyCar title contender. Herta signed a test contract with McLaren and will be evaluated by that team later this year.
Maffei was quick to point out that F1 already has an American team; Haas F1 is owned by American businessman Gene Haas, who runs part of the organization alongside the NASCAR operation in North Carolina.
But Haas was the worst team in F1 last year and Andretti has publicly urged Haas to sell the F1 team to him. Haas has refused to sell and through the first two races it appears to be a team that has improved a lot.
Gene Haas was forced to give up both his Russian driver and the grant Nikita Mazepin brought back from his father’s fertilizer company following the Russian invasion of Ukraine two weeks before the season’s opening. The team has emerged somewhat stronger and scored in the first two races of the season.
F1 and Liberty agree that the series needs more American representation – teams, drivers, sponsors, all – but Domenicali said this cannot be a contrived attempt. F1 won’t admit a team owner just for further growth in the US
“It’s important, but it has to be real,” Domenicali told the AP. “People are making a difference, they are fundamentalists. But it has to be real, (the driver) has to be quick, because otherwise it won’t work. It is not an easy journey to take. It will take time, but for sure, is our focus.
“From a commercial point of view, from the point of view of an organizer, or a promoter who wants to grow their business in America, an American woman or a man driving a car would be great.”
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