USA, Argentina and Africa on F1 'wanted' list

F1 News
Date: 30/06/2011

The Formula One World Championship should have two new races in the USA, plus events in Argentina and Africa.

Those were the locations named when a selection of F1 team principals were asked about the future of the sport during the latest FOTA Fans' Forum, held at the McLaren Technology Centre.

F1 already plans to return to the USA, in 2012, on a new purpose-built circuit in Texas. It will be the first time grand prix car racing has been held on American soil since the last of the Indianapolis events, in 2007.

"We’re going to the USA, but we’ve really got to go to the USA this time," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh. "Going there, having a race, then going home isn’t good enough. That’s what we’ve done in the States before and it didn’t work.

"America doesn’t need us, but we need to conquer it. Maybe we need to have two races a year and a proper marketing programme. We’ve got to create the interest. F1 hasn’t had to sell itself in the past; the fans have come to us. But there’s lots of competition in the entertainment business.

"We have to conquer America – that’s a five-year programme. We’ve got to be on the east coast and the west coast. It’s a big enough market and an important enough market to have two races and we should be over there."

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn approached the question from a less commercial angle, naming Argentina purely for its passion and enthusiasm.

"I agree totally with what Martin has been saying. That’s the commercial and business side," began Brawn. "All of us love to go to countries where the fans are enthusiastic and where you can really taste the passion. One of the countries that I remember being like that was Argentina. It was a fantastic race.

"The economic climate there isn’t what’s needed to have an F1 race now. Of the races that we go to now, there are several that we all look forward to because the fans are so enthusiastic. It makes a difference to us because we want to be at places where people are really enjoying the racing and you can really hear the roar of the crowd."

Virgin sporting director Graeme Lowdon also hopes the quest for new markets won't come at the expense of countries where F1 is already popular.

"Martin made an extremely good case for the commercial side. But if we’re looking at the emotional side, we do go to some places where the fans are a tad indifferent to say the least," he said.

"We also go to some places where they are knowledgeable, fanatical - it would be great to go to more places like that.

"I sense it would be a street circuit because that gets everybody as close as possible to the action. I’ve never experienced racing in Argentina and it sounds like a cool place to go. If not, Newcastle would be good!" he joked.

Force India's deputy team principal Bob Fernley took a more geographical view. "The only major continent that we’re not working on is Africa and I’d like to see us go back there," he said.