F1 has chosen the “right time” to add third race in America – Steiner

2023 F1 season

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The team principal of Formula 1’s only American squad says the series has chosen the right time to add a third race in the country.

The 2023 F1 calendar, which was published by the FIA last week, includes three rounds in the USA.

A new night race on a street circuit in Las Vegas will join the Miami Grand Prix, which was this year’s addition to the schedule, and the round in Austin, Texas which has been part of the F1 calendar since 2012.

The addition of a third US round comes as the schedule swells to a record 24 races. Steiner says the sport’s popularity has grown enough to sustain the extra events.

“I think obviously 24 races is a lot of races but the demand is there, the fans want to see what we are doing which is the biggest compliment they can give us and we need to work hard to make them happy,” he said. “Three races in America, I think it comes at the right time. The sport is already popular and it’s getting even more so, as we speak, in America.”

Las Vegas Street Circuit track map
Track data: Las Vegas Street Circuit
F1 has never run more than three rounds in the same country in a single season. This previously happened during the Covid-hit 2020 championship, when Italy held races at Monza, Imola And Mugello.

Three races were also held in America during the 1982 season. These included the last edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix at its previous venue, Caesar’s Palace. F1 also held its penultimate Long Beach Grand Prix that year, before the series split from the promoter and the race became an IndyCar round. The 1982 season saw the first edition of the Detroit Grand Prix but the race only lasted until 1988 and is also an IndyCar event today.

The other additions to next year’s calendar are the returning Chinese and Qatar grands prix, both of which will take place on permanent circuits. Despite the record number of rounds, Steiner believes F1’s new calendar is sufficiently varied and there is enough interest to sustain three races in America.

“More races are good and each of these races has got their own little thing that stands out, they’re not a copycat of each other,” he said. “I think it’s very good and America is a very big country, and they will not get in the way of each other. Two of the races I already know are very good and I think Las Vegas will put a good show on.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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15 comments on “F1 has chosen the “right time” to add third race in America – Steiner”

  1. So adding Vegas is not a big gamble. Gotcha.

  2. I don’t have a problem with three races in the US, but I do have a problem with the quality of the circuits for two of the races. While there are certainly a lot of things adding excitement off the track in Miami and Las Vegas, if the circuits themselves don’t produce excitement on the track and quality races, they aren’t going to last long and it is going to leave a sour taste in American F1 fans mouths.

    1. Most F1 circuits aren’t exciting when F1 cars are on them….
      And they often stay on the calendar for a very long time.

  3. F1 for me used to be a sport I went to see at tracks (Spa, Silverstone, Monza, Indianapolis when I lived stateside), and had a weekend enjoying the company of race fans from all teams. Now it has become a sport that I can only afford to watch on TV.

    They can add a dozen races in the USA for all I care – it is nothing but a moneymaking business now as the blatant price gouging at my home Grand Prix in Silverstone has proven quite clearly now.

    No reason to visit “Destination” events and can’t afford to my home event.

    Pitiful.

  4. I’m pretty relaxed about three US events, but let’s have them at Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta.

    1. Those are all some of the best circuits we have here, but the Glen is the most isolated major track in North America- it is in the middle of nowhere, is 2 1/2 hours from the nearest major city and has very few lodging accomodations. The track would also need a lot of safety upgrades, and the layout as it stands would probably be butchered by F1.

      Road Atlanta would probably need some kind of extension or possible alterations (because modern F1 cars would lap the track in under a minute) and major pit and safety upgrades, and Laguna Seca would need that too (but not nearly as substantially as Road Atlanta).

      1. The Red Bull Ring is in an analogous but arguably more remote location – probably not operated with profit in mind but they seem to handle a decent crowd lodged up and down the valley.

        1. I disagree, it’s only a 1 hour drive (1:15 tops) from Gratz , which in turn is not that far from the closest airport. it’s a relatively big city

  5. “F1 has never run more than three rounds in the same country in a single season” 🤨

    I present to you, the 1982 season: Long Beach, Detroit, Caesars Palace/Las Vegas. Last time I looked, all three were in United States?

    1. Last I looked, “more than 3” meant “4 or more”

  6. I’m glad with the addition of Las Vegas they were able to cover a good amount of important markets in the US (Vegas on the West Coast, Austin in the Mid-West, Miami on the southern east coast, and Montreal already has the northern east coast (it’s easy for Americans to visit Canada and vice versa)).

    But you know- it’s more important to make tracks that are either unique (Monza), variable (Spa), good for racing (Baku, Montreal), slow (Monaco), fast (Silverstone), and/or a genuine challenge to drive (Suzuka). I personally like the Vegas track (NOT the place) because it’s probably the simplest layout on the F1 calendar- it’s like the old Hockenheim on the streets, and that usually makes for good racing. Miami on the other hand needs a few layout adjustments (a sweeping Copse or Sebring Turn 1 first corner and switch Turn 7/8 and 12’s locations (with a longer version of Turn 12) and while we’re on the subject a desperately needed date change.

    1. Also- I would love to see F1 back at Indianapolis on an all-new layout that uses as much of the oval as possible (like at the Daytona 24 Hours). The spectacle that would create with F1 as popular as it is over here right now would- dare I say it- rival that of the 500.

  7. Circuit of the Americas is great for races.

    Vegas and Miami are for the show. That is too bad.

  8. Three races in the USA is fine, that’s still only 1 race per 110 million people. Compared to 1 per 50 million in the EU.

    Miami was a pretty lackluster track, and Las Vegas seems destined to be a safety car fest. But let’s give it a chance. It might merely be boring like a whole lot of street circuits are for F1 cars. That’s the main issue, the cars.

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