In recent years, F1 has become a household name in the US, with the success of Drive to Survive and Liberty Media’s marketing push playing key roles in this transformation. Will Buxton himself is in disbelief about how big the sport has gotten in America. A testament to this fact was that Buxton’s most recent book on the history of F1 became a New York Bestseller read in absolutely no time.
Speaking to RACER, Buxton explained that while the popularity of the Netflix show and other commercial aspects contributed to F1’s explosion in popularity, it was actually the US GP in Austin that laid the foundations for this boom.
“It was only when it [F1] got to Austin that it found somewhere it could put down its roots,” he explained.
The 43-year-old went on to compare the state of the Grand Prix today with a few years ago when it was in financial distress. On the brink of being scrapped from the calendar, it is now one of the most highly attended races. “You cannot move,” Buxton said, speaking about the crowds at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Buxton also believes that the success of the US GP was what gave Liberty Media and the FOM (Formula One Management) the impetus to spread out and add more US races to the calendar. In 2022, the Miami GP debuted and the very next year, F1 got its third race in America — on the iconic Las Vegas strip.
Will the Las Vegas GP fulfill expectations in 2024?
Last year, when the race was announced, it was mired in controversy and criticism from the drivers, too. Many felt it was only a cash grab for the spectacle and not a serious sporting event. One of the biggest critics of the race in Vegas was Max Verstappen himself.
But come race day, everything changed. Las Vegas delivered one of the most exciting races of the year, with Verstappen even changing his tune. Moreover, it proved to be a massive economic success, generating a staggering $1.5 billion for the city.
Now in its sophomore year, all eyes are on the Grand Prix weekend. This year, the organizers have also added an extra support event— he Ferrari Challenge—which would only add to the excitement for the weekend but also its credibility as a proper motor racing festival of glitz and glamour.
