Former Aston Martin F1 and Alpine F1 boss Otmar Szafnauer has suggested four races in the United States would not be impossible.
Miami was the second circuit to be added to the F1 calendar in 2022 before Las Vegas arrives in 2023, but Szafnauer, himself part-American, suggested four races in the country could not be ruled out.
F1’s focus on the United States was evident once FOM’s current owners, Liberty Media, purchased the commercial rights in 2017 and since then the sport has grown significantly in the United States. United.
The Netflix series Drive to Survive explains a lot of this, but the addition of two races in the country has also led to an increase in fans in the United States.
“They have three now. It’s amazing what Netflix and probably the fact that we have three Grands Prix have done for F1 in America.”
“I have friends who come to London from Florida, good friends from high school, and they said to me, ‘You wouldn’t believe it, Otmar. My daughter’s friend saw a picture of you at one of my birthdays and said wow, you know him? And it’s the Netflix effect. She’s a 17 year old girl and now she wants me to sign her autograph.
“Without Netflix she wouldn’t have known Formula 1 existed and now she wants an autograph.”
“So it’s happening and it’s real. What we need to do, I think, is keep these fans interested now.”
“Can there be one race in New York? Four races? I think so.”
As for how to make each race unique, Szafnauer said they should be marquee events with a distinct style.
“Last year in Canada, the NFL commissioner [Roger Goodell] came and spoke to all the team managers and he said the same thing. He said the thing we need to do now is capitalize on the fact that people know our sport. Making sure we conserve them, cultivate them and he’s right.”
“For me, the big question is: how do we preserve them and cultivate them? I’ve always said that. I’ve always said it even when we were just at Indianapolis, because Indy for me wasn’t really a race Yes, there was a story and we had some good races there.”
“But I always used to say back then: do a race in a nice destination. New York was in Bernie’s plans but it never came to fruition. I think Miami is a nice destination , Vegas is. I also think of Austin who knew how to impose himself. But New York would be magnificent!”
