F1 to conquer America
Over the last decade, Formula 1 has resolutely acted with the aim of conquer the American market. Now, 11 years after the Austin circuit entered the calendar, which had effectively brought the Circus back to the States, this target can be considered fully achieved. In 2023, America will have the honor of hosting three races – Miami, Austin and Las Vegas – and, in addition to Liberty Media ownership and the Haas team, there will finally be the return of a American driver on the starting grid. It’s about Logan Sargeant, chosen by Williams to replace Nicholas Latifi. His arrival in the least competitive team on the grid didn’t stop the enthusiasm of the 22-year-old from Florida who, unlike many young American motorsport enthusiasts, has always preferred Formula 1 to ‘local’ series such as IndyCar and NASCAR.
Indycar and Nascar threatened by the Circus
In the past the Grands Prix were greatly snubbed by the stars and stripes public but now, thanks also to the enormous popularity generated by the Netflix series Drive to Survive, everyone across the Atlantic knows what F1 is. Just Sargeant, speaking on the sidelines of the presentation of the new Williams livery, underlined how in his opinion the Circus is destined to surpass even the NASCAR – historically the hegemonic category in terms of motorsport in America – in the fan preferences. “I wish I could already say that [la F1] it’s almost as big as NASCAR and IndyCar, if not bigger – underlined Sargeant – but it’s hard to tell without seeing the numbers. But it seems to be quite popular and that’s a good thing. Obviously there are a lot of hardcore NASCAR and IndyCar fans who don’t always like F1, but I think the way the sport is growing in America, if it isn’t already, it will soon be the biggest.”.
A podium to climb
According to the television data of 2022, Formula 1 still remains the third most watched motor sport in the USA, with an average of 1.2 million fans. IndyCar stands at 1.3 million, while NASCAR soars at 3 million. Certainly, however, the growth in the number of ‘home’ competitions will be able to help American Circus enthusiasts to further increase these numbers.
#Sargeant #boom #USA #FormulaPassion