United States Grand Prix
Whilst Formula One is one of the most popular forms of motorsport across the globe, one area the sport struggles to gain mainstream popularity is in North America. Over the years the United States Grand Prix has been limited to something of a cult following with US racing fans, with IndyCar (and in recent years NASCAR) being far more popular.
After the inception of the Formula One World Championship in 1950, for the first few years the series incorporated the Indianapolis 500 as a championship race. However few Europeans contested the race, with different cars involved for the high-speed race.
Between 1959 and 1980, races took place at Sebring, Riverside and most famously Watkins Glen. However during the 1980s, races in America moved towards temporary street circuits in cities such as Detroit, Dallas and on two occasions the car park at Caesar’s Palace for the ‘Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Whilst these races often provided plenty of action, with mistakes being punished by a trip into concrete retaining walls, the circuits were generally unpopular with drivers, rather uninspiring in design and failed to catch the locals’ interest.
In 1989, the Grand Prix was held in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The street circuit was unpopular, and public apathy hit an all time low in 1991 with just 18,000 spectators (and stories that a local ostrich festival had attracted a larger crowd)
Following such apathy, a Grand Prix was not held in the USA until 2000, when a newly designed road circuit at Indianapolis was introduced. With crowds regularly exceeding 150,000, it seemed Formula One would finally become accepted in the USA. However the farcical 2005 United States Grand Prix saw just six cars start the race following an argument over tyre safety, an incident that saw large scale anger from fans.
The event seemed to recover from the setback, but following a disagreement in terms, the event was dropped after 2007. Whilst the door is still open for Indianapolis to return, the increase of races in areas such as Asia and the Middles East means the United States Grand Prix will not take place for the foreseeable future.
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