F1 legend Mario Andretti talks American drivers, constructors getting back onto grid ahead of Las Vegas GP

F1 legend Mario Andretti speaks to Fox News Digital about Formula 1's popularity in the United States.

LAS VEGAS – Mario Andretti is only one of two American drivers to win a Formula 1 World Championship and the last one to accomplish it in 1978.

In that 1978 season, Formula 1 had two Grand Prix races in the United States. The first was early in the year in Long Beach, California, and the second took place in Watkins Glen, New York. 

The U.S. later dropped off the F1 calendar altogether before finally finding a home in Austin, Texas, at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

This weekend, race fans have flocked to Las Vegas for the third U.S. event of the year, and F1 has seen an immense popularity turnaround. The Las Vegas Strip transformed into an epic street race filled with glitz and glamor not seen anywhere else on the schedule.

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Former IndyCar Series driver Mario Andretti reacts before the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 28, 2023. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports)

For Andretti, it’s music to his ears.

"To me, when I hear that, ‘growth,’ it’s music to my ears," the racing legend told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Obviously, because it’s no secret how much I love Formula 1 and what it meant to me over the years and still does. To see that it captures this imagination of American race fans, I think it’s great. I mean, it started out with having a proper home in today’s world at COTA in Austin and with that investment and that facility. That assured the future.

"Then, of course, Miami coming along and now what was invested in Las Vegas. It’s just unbelievable the way the city embraced this event. I was just there, and even from last year when