usa following f1.. LOL

[4mula1]

of course we can all agree that what brawn did last year will NOT happen (again) with the new us f1 team, but sadily if it did. i would be supprised if it was even talked about on radio or the papers. W H Y! .. is (usa?) detroit so mentally challenged when showing an interest in autoracing?... if it isnt stick n ball sports. they dont care. WHY?.. when lewis hamilton became the 1st black driver to win the f1 championship the sports people in michigan NEVER!.. said anything. N O T H I N G!..

[UltimateDanGTR]

thank you for that random rant.

it is appreciated.

[52Paddy]

of course we can all agree that what brawn did last year will NOT happen (again) with the new us f1 team, but sadily if it did. i would be supprised if it was even talked about on radio or the papers. W H Y! .. is (usa?) detroit so mentally challenged when showing an interest in autoracing?... if it isnt stick n ball sports. they dont care. WHY?.. when lewis hamilton became the 1st black driver to win the f1 championship the sports people in michigan NEVER!.. said anything. N O T H I N G!..

The heart of F1 is in Europe buddy. Just by historical consequences. It doesn't seem to gel well with the American mentality. I ain't saying Americans are stupid or anything, but they think contrastingly to Europeans and are different, categorically speaking. You have your NASCAR and Superbowl and relate to sport on a different wavelength than the Europeans.

Now, that's my perception of it. And it's a smacking generalisation, but that's all I can give. I'm not American after all.

[stephenw_us]

There is a small but strong core of Formula One fans in the states, with plenty of coverage if you look for it.

No it is not always in same place as stick and ball sports but I for one don't appreciate being painted with such a broad brush - for example here in the Seattle area F1 and the Premier League are followed closely by most of my circle of facebook friends so :

The Boston Globe does stunning photo essays of F1 so :

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/200...on_wet_dr.html

[NCF1Fan]

Sadly, much of what the OP said is true regarding press coverage and the interest (or lack therof) in the US of F1 and other forms of motorsport that is of interest in Europe. I'm sure there have been massive studies done on the subject, most likely by corporations and broadcasters; not for the interest aspect, but to see if there is a dollar to be made in the US market. You can bet that if that were the case, then it would be all over the press.

I happen to be a motorsports fan and try to follow as many series and forms as possible. It is difficult at best, or it was until the Internet made world news and sports pervasive. WRC is not broadcast or even covered in summary on any TV network. F1 is only covered on Speed TV with a few races televised on FOX, mainly in mid summer.

I happen to live in Charlotte NC, home of USF1. I have driven by their factory to see that it is actually there. However there has been NO, and I mean NO coverage of the team in the local press. Even when PW posed with Pechito and the President of Argentina, there was absolutely nothing in the local press about it.

Again, I don't know why F1 is just not gererally followed in the US. Like StephenW said, there are pockets of fans, and a few people I know do keep up with it, but for the most part, I am on my own.

[DazzlaF1]

Sadly, much of what the OP said is true regarding press coverage and the interest (or lack therof) in the US of F1 and other forms of motorsport that is of interest in Europe. I'm sure there have been massive studies done on the subject, most likely by corporations and broadcasters; not for the interest aspect, but to see if there is a dollar to be made in the US market. You can bet that if that were the case, then it would be all over the press.

I happen to be a motorsports fan and try to follow as many series and forms as possible. It is difficult at best, or it was until the Internet made world news and sports pervasive. WRC is not broadcast or even covered in summary on any TV network. F1 is only covered on Speed TV with a few races televised on FOX, mainly in mid summer.

I happen to live in Charlotte NC, home of USF1. I have driven by their factory to see that it is actually there. However there has been NO, and I mean NO coverage of the team in the local press. Even when PW posed with Pechito and the President of Argentina, there was absolutely nothing in the local press about it.

Again, I don't know why F1 is just not gererally followed in the US. Like StephenW said, there are pockets of fans, and a few people I know do keep up with it, but for the most part, I am on my own.

You pretty much summed it up in that 2nd paragraph, if all the races were shown on network tv on CBS, NBC, ABC or FOX, then it would give the exposure in the US that it needs, instead like you say most of the races are on a satellite/cable network which wont get as many viewers (apart from avid motorsport fans) unless you were with ESPN of course. For example over here in Britain, all the Grands Prix are shown on BBC 1, one of the 2 major network channels over here, which is a huge advantage for the F1 fanbase here

But thats what the US media is doing, they are catering for the majority (and you cant blame them for doing that) which is why NASCAR and the indy 500 gets top billing. F1 fans over in the states (of which there are plenty) really do get a bum deal in tersm of coverage unless you've got cable.

What i cant understand though is what you say about USF1, surely a project like that based in America (i think the first American F1 team in over 30 years) which is investing tens of millions of dollars into their operations and employing from around the Charlotte area and beyond would at least get a decent amount of coverage from its own national local press. But the fact that the team is based in the city where NASCAR'S headquarters are doesnt help.

[maximilian]

I believe it boils down to that Americans get interested when Americans are successful. They couldn't care less about a bunch of Euros racing around, there is no way to really associate with that. Supposedly the lack of good American drivers in CART kicked off all the problems in that series, as it was becoming more popular in places like Japan, Brazil and Canada, but supposedly lost market interest in the US. If there was a young American phenom tearing up the ranks, it would quickly catch on in the news, and the fans will come knocking. Everybody loves a winner.

[stephenw_us]

I believe it boils down to that Americans get interested when Americans are successful. They couldn't care less about a bunch of Euros racing around, there is no way to really associate with that. Supposedly the lack of good American drivers in CART kicked off all the problems in that series, as it was becoming more popular in places like Japan, Brazil and Canada, but supposedly lost market interest in the US. If there was a young American phenom tearing up the ranks, it would quickly catch on in the news, and the fans will come knocking. Everybody loves a winner.

I am embarrassed by that, for some reason American motorsports fans seem to be the worst when it comes to provincial attitudes...what embarrasses me the most is the general denial here in terms of what F1 represents...

It gets particularity bad when NASCAR writers start writing about F1, already this season on SpeedTV there have been more than a few opinion pieces from NASCAR writers on USF1 that have gotten their F1 facts completely wrong, one guy still thinks F1 was budget capped...

[gloomyDAY]

My head almost exploded trying to read the thread starter's post.

If you're a F1 and/or WRC in America, well, you're screwed! Not until just recently has there been an abundance of video torrents online that allows me to download all of the races.

SpeedTV is a joke, a complete joke. Sadly, that's all you can get around here.

[Saint Devote]

I don't think one ought to be overly critical of F1 popularity in the US.
Its a niche sport. Always has been.

Yet - just look how popular the grand prix at Watkins Glen was. Then came Long Beach - another great event and even Detroit.

Sure there were the real lemons such as Dallas, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Indianapolis was always a questionable idea. It confused American audiences and annoyed purists like myself because F1 requires its own identity.

The American audience is actually a very sophisticated one in terms of "entertainment dollars".

So how to begin? Develop a track in significant metro area - its required these days. Places like Watkins Glen were okay for the "petrolheads" like me - we LOVE race tracks to be out of the way and rustic which is why we love Interlagos and Silverstone so much - and naturally my favorite love: Monte Carlo.

Build it and they will come - there are enough Americans that love f1 AND understand it - to fill a track.

Besides the fact that not being in the US but going to race in Korea or some other "exotic" place is just plain ridiculous and to folks like myself, offensive.

I love the United States. It is a wonderful country with great people and INNOVATIVE RACING people and superb race tracks such as Road America.

A great history of racing. A world championship without a US GP is in my view, tainted. American DESERVES a grand prix.

Are you listening Bernie?