US Grand Prix could go to other circuits despite worries over falling crowds

The United States Grand Prix has had 10 homes, more than any other grand prix, and according to Formula One’s new owners, Liberty Media, that number is about to increase.

There is talk of another race – perhaps two, with Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New Jersey among the possibilities. The US, remember, staged three races in 1982, in Detroit, Las Vegas and Long Beach, California.

Before this weekend’s grand prix, Bobby Epstein, the chairman and co-founder of the Circuit of the Americas (Cota), is as excited as everyone else about the changing world of Formula One but he has mixed feelings about the prospect of more races in the United States.

The Cota facility is one of the most popular on the F1 schedule, an exhilarating circuit for drivers and race fans. And, in true American style, it is more than that.

It is a show, a spectacle, and this year it is more of a festival than ever, with a greater number and wider variety of attractions, including themed restaurants, jugglers, body painting and much more music, with the highlight a Taylor Swift concert.

Crowds have been falling since the race was first held here in 2012, and last year’s event was badly hit by rain – 25 inches of it in a week – though that helped create arguably the best race of the season.

So Cota has responded by reducing prices and offering more. But Epstein says: “If we have more races here we will be competing for a limited base of fans, and we could be weaker for a number of years. Five or 10 years down the road we would build a bigger audience overall. But there could be some pain first.”

Epstein, who is impressed by the way Melbourne and Montreal promote their race weekends, added: “We are competing for the entertainment dollar. Promoters have to become more creative. I would like to see more money spent on promoting the sport. I think fees should be lower so we can lower the ticket prices.”

He would also like to see more cars on the grid and, most of all, an American driver. “Having an American driver would be huge. We can always be welcoming but there’s no substitute for the home town hero. People connect with personalities.”

At least the Americans have their own team this year. Gene Haas, who made his millions in machine tools, is the founder of the Haas team which has made an impressive debut this year. “From the standpoint of Formula One, being a global product, it’s important to be in the United States. You’ve got 340 million wealthy consumers, and there are a lot of F1 fans in the US,” he says.

“We’d love to have F1 better accepted here and we’d love to have another race here. We’d like to see more races in our time zone. We’ve got South America, central America, Canada and the United States. Between us we could easily stage half a dozen races. It would be better for transportation too.”

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He adds: “There are a lot of possibilities here. We know how to put on a show, as Austin has proved. And I’d like to see more shows here. I think Las Vegas would be a natural.”

There are those who argue that America is too big and too insular to properly embrace the complexities of Formula One.

In 1991, when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were in their pomp, the Phoenix Gazette reported with some relish that a local ostrich festival had attracted a bigger crowd. But we are living in a fast-changing world.

There are Americans who will never be global. A few years ago this correspondent remembers being with the Red Bull driver Mark Webber when someone said to him: “Are you really Australian? Your English is so good!” Yet a year later, a couple of locals could be discussing the complexities of the various tyres, and if you understand tyre rubbers, you understand everything. “This year we are making a statement to reach a new audience,” says Epstein. “We are looking not only to keep the existing fanbase happy but also to bring in some younger folks who have never been exposed to this event. It’s F1 and more, and if people realise that, they will come back in numbers.”Ten venues that have hosted the US Grand Prix

Sebring, Florida (First race: 1959) 1 race

Riverside, California (First race: 1960) 1 race

Watkins Glen (First race: 1961) 20 races

Long Beach, California (First race: 1976) 8 races

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas (First race: 1981) 2 races

Detroit (First race: 1982) 7 races

Dallas (First race: 1984) 1 race

Phoenix (First race: 1989) 3 races

Indianapolis (First race: 2000) 8 races

Austin (First race: 2012) 4 races