Formula 1’s United States gamble cannot run out of steam before Austin
Formula 1’s adventures westward have been a stroke of genius; the United States is a hotbed of diesel, horsepower and petrol heads and it has long been in need of the world’s premier motorsport discipline.
But as the travelling circus that is the Formula 1 paddock heads over the pond to Austin for the second of three races in the States this season, they do so with the driver title already wrapped up.
Max Verstappen and his constructor Red Bull have been the dominant force this season. The team have won all but one of the races in 2023.
It has been a feat of incredible engineering to produce such an outstanding car, but it has put F1 in danger of losing interest from the very market it has been a leader in trying to break.
Formula 1 gamble
Austin has been a superb addition to the calendar, loved by fans and drivers alike. Miami, earlier in the season, added a corporate element to the American offering and Las Vegas, premiering later this year, will be the glitziest and most glamourous leg of the calendar.
But what is the point in exploiting the United States three times over every year if two thirds of the races have nothing meaningful on the line?
Attention is harder to retain in the US market; fans are blinded by so many options beyond the teams they support domestically that it takes a lot to hold the fanbase for more than a couple of minutes.
Formula 1, for all of its progression in North America, is at risk of losing the gaze of millions of fans who tuned in for close racing and dangerous overtakes – much like the ones that have made IndyCar and Nascar staples of the stateside sporting diet.
Drive to Survive, the sport’s groundbreaking fly-on-the-wall documentary, captivated new audiences, but if the drama on the track is minimal then there’s a risk of needing to amplify off-track disagreements into “Real Housewives”-style reality TV scenes.
Fans, not commodities
Formula 1 is an exceptional sport because drivers, more than ever, are speaking their minds. Team principals, owners, pundits and fans are doing the same. If the series reaches the United States with nothing on the line many more times, F1 is in danger of losing an audience the sport has worked so hard to grasp.
It’s nothing new to see dominance in the sport, with the last 14 world championship winning years coming from just two teams – Mercedes and Red Bull – but fans demand drama.
The 2021 championship, with all of its drama and conspiracy theories, was exceptional for the viewer, and saw interest peak in the sport.
Formula 1 cannot manufacture drama, but it can ensure that it goes to the iconic and strategic tracks at points in the season where the title is still on the line.
Austin this weekend and Vegas later in the season will be exceptional fun – real fan experiences – but the United States audience, one Formula 1 has tried so hard to court, is in danger of turning its back on being treated like commodities, instead dreaming of being seen as fans once again.