The past 72 hours have been big enough for Formula 1 when it comes to the drivers’ championship battle on track, but you could describe it as seismic from an off-track perspective for the sport in the United States.
Max Verstappen’s substantial progress in trying to close the gap to the McLaren drivers has set up the tantalizing prospect of a three-way title fight across the final five rounds of the season, but there have been longer term maneuvers made when it comes to America’s F1 future.
The first of those was announced on Friday and revolves around the broadcast coverage in the United States, with Apple taking over from ESPN as exclusive broadcast partner. The move split opinion among fans, with those who had the F1 TV Premium service set to see a saving as the cost of Apple TV is cheaper on a monthly basis, but F1 TV Pro subscribers will have to pay more – and that’s before factoring in the one million+ who tune in via ESPN itself for every race.
Even if a number of fans could be getting a better deal as a result of the move, the lack of choice was one criticism that I saw leveled at F1 for moving everything to a streaming service, and one that appears likely to result in a drop in overall viewing figures next year.
The latter confirmation was of a contract extension for Circuit of The Americas that will see Formula 1 remaining in Austin until at least the end of 2034.
Watkins Glen currently holds the record as the host of the highest number of USGPs with 20, but after another huge event for its 13th edition this weekend, COTA is now set to exceed that by the end of its next contract.
And that was a deal that appeared to be met with universal approval.
Fans not attending the race appreciate the track layout and often exciting racing it can provide, even if this year’s grand prix didn’t quite have the drama of previous editions on Sunday (although 24 hours earlier, the Sprint provided plenty of that by Turn 1). It’s also one of the sport’s biggest events of the year in both crowd size and interest, with a huge number of sponsor activations and celebrity appearances that really do make F1 feel truly loved in America.
It’s something that was not necessarily the case when COTA took the risk to try and provide the sport with a permanent home Stateside.
“We always knew that the people of Austin are very welcoming and a fun, hospitable town, and it was just a matter of getting people here to see it,” COTA chairman Bobby Epstein told RACER. “It feels good to be sort of validated on what we thought which was, ‘Let’s build it; people will come, and then find out that we do things OK here and want to come back.’
“That’s what’s happened, and then you see it build on itself and it kind of snowballed. When we brought in Taylor Swift in 2016, a lot of people criticized us and said we’re focusing too much on things away from the cars, but I think we took nothing away from the racing. We still have a spectacular track, we did nothing to compromise that, but just try to give people more entertainment and it’s grown from there.”
Attendance is yet to be confirmed for this year’s event, with Epstein admitting he hadn’t checked since Friday afternoon “when we looked like we were overwhelmed, and I said we still had room!”
The drivers’ had good things to say about the COTA circuit, while the fans keep voting with their feet – and wallets. Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
The traffic in and out of the track suggests a huge crowd once again but perhaps shows one of the areas the area will need to continue investing over the duration of the contract, as interest in F1 in America appears to show no sign of slowing.
“It was a great weekend, and we’re excited, Epstein said. “We never had a doubt that we both wanted to get the contract done, so it was just a matter of sitting down and working through everything, and finding ways to do things even better than we are doing.
“That’s what we always try and do, so moving forward, this year’s crowd was great, next year’s crowd may be even better. Get some new roads and maybe we can grow even a little bit more. I think it’s the largest single-weekend sporting event in the world right now, so we have got to keep building on that.”
Asked if the 500,000 fans mark is possible next year, Epstein replied: “We gotta get a new road.”
But there will be so much more that the track takes care of itself next year, as it continues to ride the wave of popularity that is a mix of wider interest in F1, and specific passion for the USGP.
Investments have been ongoing for a number of years in Austin, but the new contract provides the stability for the track and race to continue trying to improve.
“Some of the things for F1, they would like us to expand the Paddock Club,” he said. “We’ve got to build some more garages because I think there’s another team or two coming onto the grid – so those kind of improvements we have to make.
“Fan zones – we’re making some fan areas larger, improving that, and putting in an amusement park that will be open next year to give people more things to do. Thirty-six hours of programming with your ticket this year, and we want to make sure everybody feels like they got a lot of value for their dollar.
“We’re going to put a new clubhouse at the top of Turn 1 and get a little inventive and connect it with an aerial gondola to the main paddock building. Drivers can join the club, and when they’re ready to take their car for a spin they take the tram down; it’s a 3m20s ride, and then their friends and family that are hanging out at the clubhouse have a spectacular view. You can see more than 10 turns from that spot probably, and a great view of town, so it should be a fun place.”
It really is a far cry from 2012 and the somewhat isolated racetrack that was looking to somehow reverse the negative momentum the sport suffered in the States since the 2005 debacle at Indianapolis.
The Apple TV deal might come with uncertainty over what fans will get, but there’s at least another eight years at COTA where a huge festival surrounding a world class test for the drivers is almost guaranteed.
