F1 has become one of the most popular sports in the world and has witnessed particularly strong growth in the US over the last few years. Because of this, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner feels that celebrities are no longer a necessity to get eyeballs into the sport. In fact, he went as far as suggesting that a global icon like Taylor Swift would be “lucky” to get herself into the F1 paddock today.
Back in 2016, Swift, who is one of the most popular singers in the world, performed at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin during an F1 race weekend. This led many people, who weren’t interested in the sport, to turn up, just to see Swift perform. Today, according to Horner the tides have turned.
Over the last few years, F1 has witnessed a huge surge in popularity in the US. The rise of social media and Netflix’s Drive to Survive have been two major factors behind this growth. Now, celebrities aren’t required for people to tune into F1 anymore.
Taylor Swift would be lucky to get into F1, says Christian Horner
Swift has been featured heavily in the news over the last few months because of her ongoing ‘Eras Tour’. She is performing in concerts all across the US and other cities around the world. However, Horner implies that more people today would be interested in F1 than in her concerts.
In an interview with ESPN, the Red Bull team principal talks about the growth of F1 in the USA. He recalled how the organizers had to get Swift to COTA in 2016 to fill the stands up.
“If you remember Austin a few years ago,” he began. “We had to get Taylor Swift to get a crowd there! “Now, she’s lucky if she’s allowed in!”
Horner went on to talk about the upcoming Las Vegas GP, and how it will change things even more for Formula 1 as a whole.
Las Vegas GP set to be a gamechanger
Today, F1 is so popular in the United States that there are three American races on the calendar. Until 2021, the US GP in Austin was the only race in the schedule. In 2022, we saw the Miami GP added to the mix. This season will see the debut of the Las Vegas GP, which is one of the most anticipated races in recent times.
F1, investors and the organizers in Las Vegas have invested heavily in making the race as glamorous as possible. In fact, reports suggest that the local authorities had to purchase land worth $240,000,000 to set up a paddock ahead of the race later this year.
Several people feel that it will be a monumental moment for F1. Christian Horner too, agrees with this. The 49-year-old sees only positives coming out of their visit to the sin city un 2023.
