The Miami Grand Prix was inducted into the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship calendar and is back again with the second edition this weekend, the first of three races in the United States, along with Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and the all-new Las Vegas Grand Prix; raising the question: Are too many races Stateside bad for F1?
F1 later announced that there will be a third venue in the USA. This time, it’s the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will debut later this year as the penultimate race of the season. With this announcement, there is now a pretty big question in the air – with three USA tracks on the calendar right now, is this good for F1? Perhaps, it’s a little more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Formula 1, from a commercial point of view, has never been in a better position. Think about it, Netflix’s Drive To Survive has put the sport on the map even more, introducing it to millions of more people. This means more viewers watching the race live from their homes wherever they may be, and more people buying tickets to a Grand Prix Weekend.
The sport has enjoyed a huge commercial resurgence of sorts in recent years, allowing huge exposure and adding more fans to the realm of F1, suggesting the commercial agenda is a high priority in F1, at the cost of the sporting agenda, where Liberty Media are more spectacle-driven as opposed to traditional racing at the highest level.
With this commercial success in recent years and the major exposure and growth in the USA, F1 has now added the Miami Grand Prix to the mix, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix which will debut later this year. Not to mention, we already have the COTA in Austin, leaving the current total of Grands Prix in the United States at three. And not one in Germany or France…
How could more events in the USA be a blessing for F1?
It could also be asked why could it also be a detriment. Well, Americans bring a sense of their own culture to events like these, with their over-the-top presentation and hardcore motorsport fans who bring their own aura to a weekend. Not to mention money, lots and lots of money.
Look at the Miami Grand Prix this year and last, hundreds of celebrities are in attendance in some way, interacting with teams, drivers and fans, and increasing the exposure and hype even further. This will be the same case come the Las Vegas event towards the end of the season too. This, from a commercial standpoint yet again, is a huge plus in F1’s book. Exposure and income within the USA market is huge, and something that isn’t easily achieved.
There is, however, the downside of this too. By increasing the commercial side of Formula 1, and the spectacle and showcase of the events as a whole, it can be easy to assume it tarnishes the sport and motor racing end of things.
The F1 has been borderline obsessed with delivering spectacle over classic racing, deciding what can be done to make this sport as attractive and entertaining as possible. This is valid in a sense, as they’re a business at the end of the day, however, this is motor racing. A sport is it not?
At the end of the day, teams and drivers are there to race and earn points. A lot of fans just want to see racing, and when the business side of things comes into play, the potential to affect the sporting side is augmented. With the vast growth of F1 in USA, one cannot but wonder: will our sport be damaged as a result of more money and more showcase events? Time will tell…