Long remained terra incognita for Formula 1 (F1), the United States is becoming its promised land. On Sunday May 7, the first of the three American Grand Prix now on the calendar takes place in Miami (Florida) – before the United States Grand Prix in Austin (Texas, October 22) and that of Las Vegas (Nevada, November 18). ). Boss of Haas, the only American team on the circuit, the Italian Günther Steiner – erected as a media character by the documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, from Netflix – evokes the flourishing popularity of the discipline across the Atlantic. And refutes the idea of having neglected the American identity of his team.
It's amazing how much Formula 1 is growing in America, how recognized it is now compared to just five years ago. Previously, the Americans I spoke to about my work in F1 remained indifferent; now the reactions are enthusiastic: "You're in F1, that's great!" The popularity of the discipline has grown incredibly over the past few years.
It's a combination of things. The Netflix series has helped a lot, that's for sure. And she benefited indirectly from a good time: during the Covid-19 pandemic, people were more at home and started watching. But it must also be said that Liberty Media [American owner of F1 World], since its takeover of F1, has put a lot of effort and resources into social networks to make the discipline more popular. Before, these modern communication tools were a bit neglected.
F1 is different from Nascar [National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing] or Indycar, but there is room for everyone in the United States. And Formula 1 is doing better: when you look at the ratings, Nascar is still number one right now, but Indycar is falling behind. If we continue to do a good job, F1 can become the dominant motor sport in the United States.
We have gone from zero races ten years ago to three races this season, that is enough for now. Let's not be too enthusiastic, let's stabilize our achievements and then see what is the next step to take.
These races must attract a lot of people each time. And then we still need to improve the TV ratings and when we reach that goal, then there will be room for another race. We must never forget how huge the United States is… Look at the number of races in Europe this season [9 out of 23].
It's Miami! It is one of the most exciting cities. Everyone wants to attend this race, be part of this great barnum and have fun. People are happy and excited. The race promoter knows what he has to offer the public. It's not just a car race that lasts two hours... The city is booming. Miami is such that if you organize a great event there, people respond.
It's not that we neglected it, it's more that when we started out there was no point in having an American identity. [Gene] Haas entered F1 to have a global stage, not to stay on the national stage. It is the same for example for our sponsor Moneygram. Of course, their leaders are happy to sponsor an American team but they want to use Formula 1 to make themselves known internationally.
Afterwards, it is true that F1 is more and more interesting in the United States. This automatically attracts more American companies. A new sponsor [Chipotle Mexican Grill] joined us in February. A growing American market and access to global visibility is what our team can offer thanks to our participation in this international competition.
We take the best two we can get. And if he's an American, that would be a very good thing, but I don't recruit a pilot based on his passport. Of course having a good American driver would make the popularity of F1 even crazier in the United States. But I don't know if an American pilot is ready to win today.
