The return to America
F1’s battle for America’s affection may finally have taken root this time around.
IT CAN be best described as one of those dysfunctional relationships, on today off tomorrow and then caught in a vicious cycle of repeat. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Formula 1 in America.
The pinnacle of motorsports has tried nine times before to sink its heels into American soil but for various different reasons, failed.
After a five-year absence, the latest effort to plant the series firmly in America involved the investment of a purpose built circuit in Austin, Texas that played host to the penultimate race of this season.
With the championship going down to the wire, it seemed like a good idea to head over to Texas and see how the Circuit of the Americas stacks up to all the other F1 venues around the globe.
This wasn’t my first trip to the Wild Wild West, I had passed through last June on my way to a NASCAR outing at the Kansas Speedway. Back then, all I saw was a large, empty plot of land being worked on by a dozen bulldozers.
It’s hard to believe that in such a short time, the entire circuit, paddock and grandstands were complete and ready to welcome the Formula 1 fraternity.
The simplest way to get to know a circuit is to walk it, and so with a little local help in the form of Caterham test driver Alexander Rossi, we set off around the 5.513km circuit.
Alexander explained that the Circuit of the Americas or COTA as he called it, set out to build a circuit that was exciting to drive and borrowed inspiration from Interlagos, Silverstone, Hockenheim and Istanbul Park.
But its signature corner was the impressive Turn 1. Accelerating off the start, drivers rocket up the 41-metre elevation change before turning left and heading downhill onto Turn 2.
As we walked the track, Alexander pointed out potential overtaking spots and corners that he felt would challenge the drivers and produce good racing. And as we learnt on the Sunday, he was spot on.
What impressed me about this venue was the crowd turnout. And not just over the three days of track action. It began on Thursday.
When I arrived in the morning, despite not having any track action, there were thousands of people who had shown up to get a glimpse of the cars in the pit lane.
And they weren’t confined to the grandstands either, in an example of excellent organisation, the circuit opened up the track and allowed fans to walk onto the main straights and get right up to the pit wall.
I bet there are millions of pictures already up on Facebook and Instagram.
Having been to a NASCAR event where the fans, on race day, can get right up and close to the race cars, I understand why the organisers were trying their best to make the event accessible and with the post race ‘track invasion’ I believe that they succeeded in doing so.
The basic structure, pit facilities and paddock were certainly as good as anywhere else in the world.
Perhaps the most noticeable exception was the complimentary media cafeteria where burgers, hot dogs and good ‘ol American fries were available for the hungry journalist. America certainly understands that a well-fed journalist is a happy one!
What the inaugural race lacked in terms of support races, it made up for in entertainment. Built into the circuit’s “infield” is an amphitheatre where the likes of Collective Soul performed after qualifying. When the track action was done, the entertainment acts gave people a reason to picnic on the grass and enjoy the sun.
The big concern over the weekend was that the “green” track would not make for a good race, and given that Sebastian Vettel had qualified on pole with Fernando Alonso starting six places behind, we needed a race to ensure the title battle went down to season finale in Brazil.
And thankfully, that’s exactly what we got. The track layout delivered on its promise and we witnessed an excellent race that had all the necessary elements.
As for the battle between Vettel and Alonso to become the only triple world champion on the 2013 grid?
Well that takes place in Brazil today, and I’ll fill you in on the magic of Interlagos in my next Afterburn column. > Sanjeev Palar is a co-presenter on Engine Block, catch him on STAR Sports this Monday at 9.00pm