As a result of the increasing interest in Formula 1, and especially in the United States, former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, currently the F1 CEO, is bullish about the future of the sport in the country, as he wants to turn each Grand Prix into a “Super Bowl” which American fans can relate to.
Formula 1 has completely changed its approach to racing in America following a surge in popularity in recent months, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Just three years ago, Formula 1 seemed willing to give up on attempting to attract fans in the United States. But things quickly changed and starting with the 2023 championship, we will see three United States events on the Formula 1 calendar (Miami, Austin and Las Vegas).
For several years, the sport struggled a lot to generate more interest among the fans across the pond, but at a certain point came to the conclusion that expensive experiments in Detroit, Indianapolis and Austin were not successful. Yet a pleasant surprise for the F1 top management was to the 268,000 fans in attendance at the 2019 US Grand Prix turn into more than 450,000 this season.
This made organisers think of the possibility of introducing more events to capitalize on series’ wave of popularity in America and as a result the Miami Grand Prix earlier this F1 campaign. The 2023 season will mark another highly anticipated event, with the sport making an unlikely return to Las Vegas in November, showcasing a first-of-its-kind race where drivers will compete down the Strip on a Saturday night.
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Asked about about the sport’s decision to boost United States-based Grands Prix from one race to three events within just two seasons, former Ferrari boss and current Formula 1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali confirmed that plans are to create a ‘Super Bowl’-feel to every race on the schedule.
He explained: “It was such a quick turnaround – really a matter of two years. An incredible ‘switch-on’ that before was not there. Our vision of, ‘Everywhere we go, we want to create a Super Bowl’ is much easier to understand if you have an American mentality. We are trying politely to offer something that is not pure US but international. And we saw the effect of being stubborn to be in Vegas. No one thought we’d be able to convince the committees to be on the Strip on a Saturday night.”
Starting with the next campaign, six of the 24 races on the Formula 1 calendar will be scheduled to take place in US-friendly time zones, showing the sport’s clear change of heart in that part of the world. Grands Prix in Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas, alongside those in Canada, Mexico and Brazil, will make up a full quarter of the schedule. Taking into consideration the fact that the sport plans to visit five continents in nine months, teams have urged the F1 top management to not further increase the number of races for the following years.
Formula 1 first raced in Las Vegas four decades ago, but at that time fans did not show a lot of interest as drivers competed around the vast Caesars Palace car parks. Forty years on, the Nevada hotspot is one of America’s newest sports hubs, offering 150,000 hotel rooms, and there will clearly be a ‘Super Bowl’ feeling when Formula 1 arrives here in November 2023 for a glamorous Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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