Car parks, Netflix & Vegas: How F1 finally cracked America

It had been the impossible dream of Formula 1 bosses for decades, but now it finally looks like they’ve made it big in America.

The announcement that there will be a new Grand Prix, set on the streets of Las Vegas from 2023 onwards, means that the USA will host not one, not two but three events on the F1 calendar, with the race at Austin already well-established and the Miami Grand Prix set to make its debut in May.

Only twice before has a country hosted three races in a single season: Italy in 2020 with races at Monza, Imola and Mugello, although this came about because of the COVID-19 pandemic rather than any commercial desire for it, and the US had a go back in 1982 with circuits in Long Beach, Detroit and Vegas, where cars raced around, believe it or not, the car park of the Caesars Palace hotel.

So, what has changed? How has a sport that has struggled for so long to find a home stateside, found three in a short space of time? And perhaps the biggest question of all is: will it last?

F1’s history with the US is long and complicated to say the least, with no less than 10 different circuits hosting grand prix events since 1950. Yet very few of these tracks proved popular with drivers and spectators alike, with NASCAR and IndyCar remaining the go to motorsport.

This wasn’t helped by a lack of American drivers on the grid. While they can boost two world champions in Phil Hill and Mario Andretti, no American has won a race since 1978 and this is not just a historical issue either. This century has only seen two US drivers manage a race start, namely Scott Speed and Alexander Rossi, who scored a combined total of zero points across 33 races.

Yet those in charge of the pinnacle of motorsport still believed they could crack