united States is the eternal question with no resolve of the Formula 1, that never has been achieved that the category has a minimal popularity in the country of bars and stars. Level of motorsport, the NASCAR and, to a lesser extent, IndyCar or the IMSA, absorb to the target audience, and that is only a portion of what attract major sports of the country, such as football, basketball or baseball. The americans are very of their competitions, and very little follow world events in those who do not have a relevant presence, and that is the case of the Formula 1.
The Great Circus has suffered numerous periods of darkness in the country (without pilots or Grand Prix between 1994 and 1999 and between 2008 and 2011), and when it has been launched, the response has never been expected. Failed miserably in circuits so popular in the world of ‘road racing’ as Sebring or Riverside, and their adventures in urban Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, or a parking garage in Las Vegas had a reception minimum, and their visits to Indianapolis occurred in the period, more dominating and plane of the category, apart from end up in scandals. Only Watkins Glen and Long Beach were able to be successes organizational, but not even the golden age of Mario Andretti and their visits to the Glen made great thing. Now, Austin tries to establish itself as an event, but the largest influx of mexican and the economic difficulties don’t help.
Still, Liberty Media is willing to try one more time, and Zak Brown is a great supporter of it. The new manager of McLaren believes that the Great Circus must explore and take advantage of the benefits of the “sports market more wide and rich”, and trust in the possibilities of the Formula 1 to attract fans: “We are a championship overall, and while we continue going to new and emerging markets, which is great, at the end of the day the united States is the sports market more wide and rich. We have a lot of room for improvement there. So we need to be more large in north America. I think that the Formula 1 can be huge there with the time”.
To do this, Brown believes that it must significantly increase the marketing and promotion of Formula 1 in the country, through all available means, and argued that there was a basis, unlike in emerging countries:
“there’s a lot of people, a lot of television and a lot of economy. It is only a territory, but a very important one, in that I believe that there is so much ground for the growth as well as in any other territory in the world. He loves racing and loves sports, while in some of the new territories that we’re going, we’re having to develop the sport. we Only need that the american public is exposed more to our sport, and I have no doubt that you will fall in love with him, like pretty much any market that we go to”.
One of the measures proposed to ensure that the american public is more diligent and pay more attention to the Formula 1 is celebrate more Great Prizes there, something that would not be new. In 1976, the existing Grand Prix of the united States at Watkins Glen was added to the GP in the West of the united States in Long Beach. This duality is maintained when the Grand Prix from Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas, it replaced the Glen in 1981, and even in 1982 he came to contest for a third Grand Prix, in Detroit. Las Vegas fell, but EE.USA followed with two GPs until 1984, the year in which Dallas replaced Long Beach to disappear almost immediately.
In recent years, had planned to a Grand Prix on a street circuit in New Jersey, that stood in the way. Due to the lack of circuits Degree 1 in the united States outside of Austin and Indianapolis that you are not going to return, a city seems the more feasible. Brown bet on this second career, and he believes that these movements should be accompanied by the presence of an american pilot full-time, not something that happens from 2006 (Scott Speed), but that Formula 1 doesn’t suck, much less to rival those from already of the NFL: “we Need another race in the united States. Austin has done an extraordinary job, it’s great that Haas this here, without a doubt it would be great to have an american pilot level, and that Liberty known to the american market as well is going to be beneficial, but I think that there is a balance. No one thinks that this going to become an all-american sport of the night to the morning“.
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