A new chapter for Formula 1 in the United States begins
Formula 1 has had a tumultuous time in the United States. Although Watkins Glen and Long Beach were successful venues, it was difficult for F1 to make a deep, lasting impression in a country with so much high-level domestic competition. And there have been silly misfires, such as the 2005 farce when only six cars started at Indianapolis.
But now F1 really does seem to have cracked America. As Matt Kew shows in our special on page 16, various factors have contrived to make that happen, with two new races and the attempts by the Andretti team to join the championship showing how far F1 has come.
It’s difficult to know exactly what to expect for the new Miami Grand Prix this weekend, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Interest is high and Charles Bradley recently went behind the scenes to find out how the designers and organisers overcame various challenges to provide what they hope will be an exciting race (p24).
Rumours of upgrades for Ferrari and Mercedes add to the intrigue. For Ferrari, the next few races will be key in responding to Red Bull, while Mercedes is still looking to unlock the W13’s potential, just as Lewis Hamilton helped Mclaren do with its MP4-24 in 2009 (p14).
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