WHY F1 HASN'T CAUGHT ON IN THE USA?

[sourpuss]

I realize i'm dealing w/ fellow F1 bretheren all over the globe who may not care in the slightest as to this topic but for those who may have been following the evolution of the sport longer than myself and those who live in the states, may you provide persicuous insight as to why F1 has yet to grab a viable following in the USA?

My views for deliberation:

-Inianapolis: exactly the wrong venue...I vote of NYC...for reasons that there is a much broader fan base...more disposable income in population, and a more people who share the same ethnic backgrounds of the globally represented drivers

-Strength of Nascar: which having been to the supposed 'grandaddy of all racing' <> Daytona 500 is a horrible event to watch...it is great as an event but for racing purposes I'd rather watch snowmobiling

-Marketing: FIA is non-existent in the market, especially the northeast part of the country which is the most populated...

American Driver: we need one...and after the 'swapping paint' promotion w/ JP and Jeff gordon I though that this might sway Gordon into the rank and file of F1...it didn't, and too bad because Gordon can drive! hopefully Formula BMW can change this...

[Julian Mayo]

F1 desn't go around in circles

[JayVee]

F1 desn't go around in circles

It would be interesting to have 1 round at an oval actually.

Honda would need 3 engines per race

But seriously, I think it is the American way wanting to be different from the rest of the world (I am only speaking in the context of sport)

Before F1, there is soccer, rugby and cricket. Those sports are very popular yet they have no viable following in the US because the US has its own variant (American Football, Baseball, etc ...). Same with F1, there is Champ, IRL and NASCAR.

I guess you've got something working then why change it

If F1 is to be successful you need 3 or 4 races in North America, an American team, an American driver and the races in Europe to run at reasonable times for American TV networks.

With the politics in F1, I think it is too hard

[Julian Mayo]

The networks are the key to it. Getting one of the major networks to air it would be a starting point (sticking point)

[Graham Ross]

To get F1 in the US you need more races. In Europe there are 12 or so races of F1, you'll need at least 6 to 8 races in the Americas to start having a following.

There is also the problem of pure vs manufactured. My (outsider) view of US motorport series like Indy and NASCAR seem too manufactured. Cars run the off the shelf components yet we are led to believe they are different. The saftey car is deployed for almost any reason just to keep the racing close .... you don't find that in F1. It is the closest you'll get to pure racing (although the single lap qualifying was introduced to create a manufactured grid but I suspect that F1 will revert to a purer form of qualifying eventaully)

And I agree with JV, you'll need an American Manufacturer in there, GM or Chrysler I suppose now that Ford's Jaguar failed miserably!!

But hey at least you guys can watch Qualifying and the race live

[Evil Giraffe]

New here. First post. Hello everyone.
You already metioned some of the problems so I might repeat some of what was already said. But here are some points, in random order, that I think lead to the reasons.

1) No American driver means no hometown hero. Personally I don't give a damn if there is an American driver or not, but it seems to me that many Americans need to "identify" with a sportstar they follow and without an American in F1 they just don't get that.
2) Times of races are rough. When I lived in the USA (and will be back soon) I used to get up at 4am for the European races but I can't see most Americans doing this. Tape delaying is an option--though I don't want to see this happen if that's the one and only time they'll show it. There is no good way to fix this so that it would please everyone.
3) Americans like to feel important. Look at what we call the MLB championship series. Look at how we manage the world of politics (don't want to get into that though). F1 doesn't allow us to feel important. We get one race and, as already mentioned, we have no driver in the series. I see no problem with America getting one race. Most countries that get a race get only one race. But I think there is something to this. If we can't be the center of attention, we bugger off and design our own thing so that we can feel more important than we perceive the other to be.
4) No F1 team is based in America. I don't think that people realize how important this factor might be. But if Chevy or Ford or someother American based auto company became a major force in the series--like on par with Renault or McLaren's status--we might just see more Americans give a s#$% about F1. Perhaps not, but I think so.
5) But the overriding factor is that all of the above points are intertwined and you can't just take one and think that that will make F1 and America a great match. Without the American interest American companies won't get involved. And without American companies sponsoring some young American, it will be tough for drivers from the country to break into the sport. Also, without American interest American auto companies are shy to get involved. And without more races in America, a driver to cheer for, and an team to back, Americans will never, at least not in great numbers, care what the hell happens in the world of Formula One.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Julian Mayo]

Welcome EG, some salient points there

[sourpuss]

I appreciate the responses...and I agree that this is a mixture of all aforementioned things...to go a bit further, one other point is that unlike Europe, the states really don't have a true training ground for F1 like carting nor a proving ground for that matter...especially when it comes to grooming young drivers...

[VTEC]

All valid points but I also think F1 is looked upon here as an elitist sport and not mainstream making people shy away from it.

As I understand it CBS will cover 4 races (I think) this year. 3 from Europe and the Montreal one. We'll see how that goes!

[sourpuss]

Wow, didn't know about the CBS coverage...that's a start...you make a good point about the elitism of the sport, however I understand this in reference to Nascar only, which when you compare them, F1 is, in reality a better technical and professional sport and hence elite from a sports vantage point...like comparing pro and college football...and F1's fans in the states due in fact fall into the higher financial demographic...but I don't think people over here really care about that...

I'll tell you this much, you put Shu in a Red Budweiser car and I bet more Americans would relate or at least pay a little more attention...I like it being under the radar over here because you keep a lot of wannabees and gearheads out of the mix...let nascar draw them...but I would really like to see an American team in this series - even if they sucked! And unfortunately, there won't be an american team unless there is interest...Maybe Cadillac...

Budweiser does sponsor Williams and Dale Earnhardt Jr. which is interesting in its own right...

[N. Jones]

NASCAR.

I also think having only one GP here hutrs as well.

[Shifter]

Hmm...

I can't help but wonder if we lack the proper location/track combination to spark interest.

Let's face it, street tracks are horrible. Monaco is an exception because of historical signifigance. F1 tried to bring the racing to population/income hotspots, like Dallas and Las Vegas, but had no proper track to run on. There are some really good tracks that could host F1, I would be ecstatic about a modern gran prix at Watkins Glen, but would enough fans make the trip to northern New York State?

I think our best hope to spark interest in F1 would be to race at Laguna Seca. Schedule the race during the Concours d'Elgance and cross your fingers that it takes with that crowd.

Also, I think younger gearheads like myself (22) who were brought up on Hondas and Fuel Injection are a better fit to be F1 fans than the previous generations. Keep in mind the Europeans were building sports cars when the US was building muscle cars.

[Graham Ross]

Shifter!

The venue will certainly make a difference but it all comes together. You need to start with 2 or 3 races in the US, 1 in Canada, 1 in Mexico and at least 2 in South America. A few of those need to be back to back so that they stick in peoples minds. Of course the TV coverage is essential as well as all the promo activities. Teams going to the big cities and having demo runs, etc ....

But all this will face resistance from the existing series. Wouldn't NASCAR and Champ series see this as a threat ?

[Julian Mayo]

Laguna Seca would be something else! It has to be one of the best, under-used tracks anywhere . Is there enough run off room for F1 tho?

[Shifter]

Laguna Seca would be something else! It has to be one of the best, under-used tracks anywhere . Is there enough run off room for F1 tho?

Is there enough run-off room at Albert Park? I think Laguna Seca has more than Albert Park. The only real questions are 1) how those cars would take to the corkscrew, and 2) Is the kink on the main straight safe?

NASCAR and Champ Car couldn't complain; its not as if they're utilizing Laguna Seca. I say give the Hungaroring the boot and race at Indy and Laguna Seca.