‘FORMULA1 returns to the USA’ was probably the most over-used phrase in the last couple of weeks as the sport actually re-entered the United States of America. While I wasn’t around in the early years of the 70s and 80s when Formula1 was followed religiously at the Watkins Glen and Phoenix, I certainly was around when the 2005 United States Grand Prix held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was termed a ‘farce’. Tyre troubles with the Michelin shod teams meant that only six cars participated in the race on Race Day. This was the beginning of the end which finally came in 2007. Lewis Hamilton won the last Formula1 race held in America and he won the first race on its return as well.
While Formula1 has set foot in the emerging markets in Asia, over the last two decades Formula1 has flirted without much success with the United States; to many people’s surprise, me included. USA is a huge market to ignore, especially given its size and love for sports. The local sports culture is extremely strong and has matured over the years. And talking about size, it probably attracts as many people to sports as India or China, but the big difference is that these people love spending on sports. This is why local sports have large attendances and sports merchandising is very successful there.
And also, for the teams, exposure to the American market will boost their chances in attracting sponsorship in America and otherwise. According to Formula Money, 34 of the sport’s current sponsors are headquartered in the USA and these include Hilton, AMD, Exxon Mobil amongst others. A commercial win-win for all stakeholders?
The Circuit of the Americas is a purpose built track for Formula1 by Herman Tilke. The circuit layout has been appreciated by most drivers, especially the elevation changes. While a large number of spectators flocked the first ever race in Austin, it will be interesting to see if they will do so year after year. Motorsport fans in the USA religiously follow NASCAR and Indy car racing, will they be able to accommodate a technically complex sport like Formula1 in their appetite? As always, ‘time will tell’!
The GP had a very exciting start with cars struggling for grip overall. While Vettel led most of the race, a great overtaking move by Hamilton saw him clinch victory, his 4th of the season. Alonso kept his championship hopes alive by clinching 3rd ahead of Massa in 4th. While Red Bull Racing clinched their 3rd successive Constructors’ title in Austin, the 2012 Drivers’ Championship will go down to the wire in Brazil with Vettel leading Alonso by 13 points. Who is your money on?
The USA GP saw Narain Karthikeyan be replaced by Chinese driver Qing Hua Ma in FP1 yet again. Lack of track time at a new circuit can prove to be disastrous as drivers not only need time to learn the track but also work on car set-up simultaneously. The effect of missing FP1 probably was one of the reasons why Narain was seven tenths off his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa and narrowly managed to avoid the 107% elimination time. HRT’s mechanical gremlins got the better of him as he had to abort his final qualifying attempt and settle for P24.
Narain had an uneventful race finishing 22nd and last, about 12 seconds behind his team-mate. While I have discussed Narain’s interest to re-sign with HRT for 2013 in my earlier columns, it appears that option may not be available next year. In the week leading up to the USA GP, HRT announced that it was up for sale and was hoping to seal the deal with interested buyers by the first week of December. Rumours are still abuzz that if the sale isn’t completed by then, the team will shut shop.
Even if there are potential investors interested in HRT, would it be a wise investment for any? The team has failed to score a single point since inception and recently shifted base to Madrid to attract more attention from Spanish investors. They currently lie 12th in the Constructors’ Championship with no worthy assets to their name. Or perhaps, for a change a Formula1 team will be available for cheap? For the sport and its fans, I hope that we have all 12 teams on the grid next year. And then of course, for Indian fans, I hope that Narain too has a drive!
Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg finished the USA GP in 8th place, adding 4 points to the team’s championship tally. The Indian-owned team’s points total is 99 points and it will be good to see the team completing a century of points in the final race of the season.
And Formula Money also reported on the involvement of the Texas State with the United States GP. The local government has pledged a support of $25 million annually to the circuit organisers if they are able to prove the tourism benefits to Texas via the platform of the F1 race. The support will depend on the amount of tax receipts that will be generated during the GP weekend and this will include for tourists not just outside of the USA, but also from outside Texas. An interesting arrangement and perhaps something that the Indian GP organisers could pursue with the Indian government too?
