Grand Prix preview
Will the United States finally embrace Formula 1 racing?
Sebastian Vettel made his Formula 1 debut at the last U.S. Grand Prix in 2007.Can he claim his third title this weekend?
David Coulthard became the first man to drive an F1 car at the somewhatunfinished Circuit of the Americas last August.
After all the speculation, planning and debate surrounding the return of Formula 1 to the United States, the time has finally come for the talking to stop. It’s time to race.
Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin won’t be the first time the essentially European sport has attempted to establish a foothold in the United States.
Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin won’t be the first time the essentially European sport has attempted to establish a foothold in the United States.
Since the beginning of the modern championship in 1950, there have been races at a number of American tracks, including Riverside and Long Beach in California, Detroit, Phoenix, and a one-off event in Dallas in 1984.
None has enabled Formula 1 to reach the levels of popularity enjoyed by traditional U.S. motorsports such as NASCAR or Indycar.
That could soon change. The brand-new Circuit of the Americas is not only the newest on the Formula 1 race calendar, but it also is the first purpose-built Grand Prix circuit in the country.
Designed by German Hermann Tilke, the track aims to make the sport more visually appealing and exciting to a market that has largely failed to be turned on by the idea of Formula 1 in the past.
On paper, Austin certainly looks like the kind of circuit a Formula 1 driver would love to drive: It combines some of the great features of European circuits that make them a favorite with hardcore fans around the world. On the McLaren team’s official website, 2009 World Champion Jenson Button had positive comments.
“I think we’re in for a fantastic weekend,” Button said. “I really cannot wait to get out to Austin and see the city, the people and the track. I think it’s going to be brilliant.”
“It’s a fantastic country and a place where our sport truly deserves to be,” said Lewis Hamilton. “Circuit of the Americas could also be the place that modern Formula 1 finally calls home.”
Button’s teammate Lewis Hamilton will already be familiar to many in the States as the boyfriend of former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. He can expect to receive a warm welcome from the Americans filling many of the seats this weekend.
“I have to admit — I’m absolutely made up that we’re going back to the States,” said an excited Hamilton in an interview with the official Formula 1 website. “It’s a fantastic country and a place where our sport truly deserves to be. I think the Circuit of the Americas looks like it could also be the place that modern Formula 1 finally calls home.”
In the four short years since Formula 1 left America, there have been some incredible moments. A last-gasp Hamilton snatched the laurels in 2008; the Honda team of the same season rose from the ashes to title glory in 2009 under the Brawn GP name; and Alonso and Ferrari lost the 2010 fight in the dying laps of the year to Sebastian Vettel, who went on to even greater success in 2011.
It would be fitting if, this weekend, Austin could give us a show cast from the same mold.
