• Classification This is how the World Cup goes

"It's funny that Formula 1 has now become popular in America. In fact, it has become cool, there are people following the races that until now did not even know existed. If even my wife has been hooked. The other day he says to me: 'Hey, what you did in the World Cup was very good'. And I was like, 'They finally realize.'"

The anecdote of American Scott Speed, Toro Rosso driver in 2006 and 2007, perfectly illustrates the evolution of Formula 1 in his country in recent years. That purely European competition that did not even set foot on American soil between 2008 and 2011 has now become a phenomenon that competes in audiences on ESPN with NASCAR, which has attracted more than 100 Yankee companies as sponsors and has generated three gaps in the World Cup calendar: this Sunday it runs on the Miami street circuit (21.30 pm, DAZN), in October will travel to Austin and in November, to the new street circuit in Las Vegas. The development has an obvious reason: at the end of 2016 Liberty Media, an American media company, bought Formula 1 for 4,400 million dollars. But there are more reasons.

"The Netflix documentary, Drive to Survive, changed things. With that part of drama, the public began to know the drivers and the popularity of the sport grew a lot here, "analyzes Speed and he is right. Today there are thousands of sports documentaries scattered across all platforms, but Drive to Survive, released in March 2019, that is, shortly before the pandemic, was a unique success. Worldwide it had millions of viewers, but it swept mainly in the United States, the most important market for Netflix, where it has 74 million subscriptions.

Formula 1 fans in Miami, this Friday. Rebecca BlackwellAP

According to a study by the consultancy Morning Consult published at the beginning of 2022, "almost half of Americans who identify as Formula 1 fans admit that they have started following the World Championship in the last five years" and "almost three out of four Formula 1 fans in the United States under the age of 45 attribute their interest in competition to the documentary Drive to Survive".

For this reason, and as an example, Daniel Ricciardo, great protagonist of the first season of Netflix's Drive to Survive and, at the same time, a driver in decline, without a steering wheel this 2023, is still famous in the United States, with a presence at the last Met Gala – where Anne Hathawayadmitted that she was a fan of Formula 1 – and recent appearances in prime time on television programs such as The Daily Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Death after Indy 2005

How far away is the Indianapolis scandal in 2005. Due to safety problems generated by the Michelin tires, only six drivers played that test – with Michael Schumacher winning – and, among fans throwing objects on the track, something broke between the United States and Formula 1. "We'll see if we miss America," Bernie Ecclestone, then master and lord of Formula 1, declared to the quarrel with the owners of the Indiana circuit. And shortly after the World Cup left the country. In 2012 Austin was included in the calendar, but the competition continued to be residual, a contest that did not even have television to broadcast it, a competition of little interest there.

The arrival of Liberty Media – with an agreement with ESPN under its arm – and Drive to Survive changed everything. Now each Formula 1 race exceeds one million spectators and in the own tests, those held in Austin or Miami, at a favorable time and with celebrities among the public, they have exceeded two million, that is, NASCAR numbers have been touched.

Fans in Miami watch Alex Albon.Rebecca BlackwellAP

The next step, beyond organizing a fourth race – there are projects near New York, in Long Beach and even in Charlotte, an emblematic stage for NASCAR – is to get an American driver to fight for victories or, at least, to get closer to the podium. The creation of the Haas team in 2014 was already a success, but having a champion is not just a matter of money. It's a matter of culture. "There is talent to spare, but you need a whole context, to find the right moment. That Formula 1 is popular here now will help some young people try the adventure," says Speed, who details the problem.

To reach Formula 1, an American driver needs to go through the training events, which are mainly held in Europe, and / or enter the quarry of one of the teams. Today it is difficult for a kid from California to leave his way to NASCAR or Indycar to go live in the United Kingdom, for example, and participate in British Formula 4 or European Regional Formula. It was done by Logan Sargeant, current Williams driver, the only American on the grid, penultimate still without points, but more compatriots are needed. If someone capable of succeeding Phil Hill (1961) and Mario Andretti (1978) as the third Yankee champion in history appears, the boom would be enormous. From nothing, Formula 1 has resurrected America and can now grow to infinity.

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