John N
Miami will become the 11th US venue to have hosted a Formula 1 World Championship round in 2022, having signed a 10-year deal this season – but where else has F1 raced Stateside?
- Indianapolis
19 races, 1950-1960 (as Indy 500) and 2000-2007 (as US Grand Prix)
For 11 years, from 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 formed part of the world championship. However, it was virtually unheard of for any European-based F1 teams or drivers to make the trip to the States to compete in a highly specialized race run in different machinery. But F1 racing would eventually run at the Brickyard in anger, albeit in reverse, thanks to creating a new circuit that twinned a substantial part of the famous oval with a new infield section to create a unique 4.1-kilometer road course.
The first of eight consecutive United States Grands Prix at Indy was held in 2000. The grandstands were heaving, with 250,000 fans flocking to see the action. McLaren’s David Coulthard got the better of Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher but was punished for jumping the start. The German would triumph, leading home teammate Rubens Barrichello.
- Sebring
One race, 1959
The first United States Grand Prix in the World Championship era took place in 1959 at Sebring International Raceway, a road course constructed on a former military airbase in Florida. It was the ninth and final round of the ’59 season. Excitingly for the first time since the inaugural championship in 1950, three drivers – Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, and Tony Brooks – had a shot at securing the world title.
Brabham was the favorite to take the crown and duly led until 400 yards from the finish when he ran out of fuel somewhat incredibly. In a moment of high drama, ‘Black Jack’ then jumped out of his car and mustered just enough strength to push it across the line in fourth place before collapsing to the ground with exhaustion. It was unconventional, but Brabham had become Australia’s first world champion. In contrast, his misfortune had enabled 22-year-old McLaren to become the youngest winner in F1 history. This record stood until 2003 when it was eclipsed by Fernando Alonso, who Max Verstappen then eclipsed in 2016.
- Riverside
One race, 1960
Riverside International Raceway, set in the city of Riverside in Southern California, hosted the United States Grand Prix in 1960. The track was back-dropped by the San Bernardino mountain range and was notable for its hilly topography and was 1.8km (1.1 miles) straight.
The sole world championship race at the venue was dominated by Stirling Moss, who won from pole position in his Rob Walker-entered Lotus 18-Climax, beating works Lotus driver Innes Ireland by some 38 seconds. Though F1 racing never returned to Riverside, the track continued to operate until 1989 before it was sold off for real estate.
- Watkins Glen
20 races, 1961-1980
After brief dalliances in Florida and California, the US Grand Prix found a more permanent home in 1961 – Watkins Glen in picturesque, upstate New York. ‘The Glen’, as it was known, was a gloriously fast track built around a wooded hilltop and quickly became a driver’s favorite. Innes Ireland gave Colin Chapman’s works Lotus squad their first world championship victory in the inaugural Watkins Glen race, sparking a run of British success that would continue for eight years.
The two most prolific British victors were Graham Hill and Jim Clark, each winning the race three times. The track, which always attracted scores of passionate fans, was extended by over a mile ahead of the 1971 race and went on to host a further 10 Grands Prix before disappearing from the calendar after 1980.
- Long Beach
Eight races, 1976-1983
For eight years in the late seventies and early eighties, Formula One cars raced on the palm tree-lined streets of Long Beach, California. Like many street tracks, Long Beach – which was conceived as ‘Monaco on America’s West Coast’ – was bumpy in places. Still, there were high-speed sections, too, most notably along the Shoreline Drive’s evocatively and Ocean Boulevard.
There were several standout races in the United States Grand Prix West history, including John Watson winning from 22nd on the grid in 1983. Perhaps the best-remembered is the 1977 race. Home favorite Mario favorite won after a late tussle with Jody Scheckter. The Lotus driver would pass the South African with less than three laps to send the home fans into raptures. Ferrari’s Niki Lauda overcame Scheckter to finish second.
- Detroit
Seven races, 1982-1988
The addition of a Detroit Grand Prix to the calendar in 1982 made the USA the first country to host three World Championship races in one season. Sadly, the street track, which wound around the American car capital’s downtown area, was bland and bumpy, with a predominance of slow 90-degree bends.
Ayrton Senna established himself as a Detroit specialist, winning at the unloved Michigan venue three times in a row between 1986 and 1988, while John Watson won from 17th on the grid in the inaugural race!
- Dallas
One race, 1984
“The only thing good about it,” said Alain Prost of Texas’s first Grand Prix track, “is that suddenly Detroit is not so bad…” Thankfully for the Frenchman and his fellow F1 drivers, they would only race around the frightening quick, hugely bumpy circuit in Dallas’s Fair Park on one occasion after a chaotic 1984 event.
In July, somewhat puzzlingly, when temperatures in ‘Big D’ regularly topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees C), it was little surprise when parts of the track surface started to break up, leading to the cancellation of morning warm-up.
Despite threats of a boycott from the drivers, the race eventually got underway as planned. It turned out to be a doozy, with Williams’ Keke Rosberg – aided by a water-cooled skullcap under his helmet – taking his only win. But the enduring memory of the race for many was the sight of an exhausted Nigel Mansell collapsing after trying to push his crippled Lotus across the finish line.
- Phoenix
Three races, 1989-1991
The Phoenix street circuit was built around Arizona city’s grid system. Like Detroit, it featured an abundance of uninspiring right-angled bends. The inaugural race in 1989 was run in the intense heat of summer, and of the 26 cars that took the start. The 1990 race, which took place in spring, was a much more exciting affair as Tyrrell’s Jean Alesi battled McLaren’s Ayrton Senna for victory.
The Frenchman eventually lost the wheel-banging brawl, but he’d marked his card as a future F1 star by coming home second. Senna, meanwhile, cemented his position as king of American street tracks by dominating the final race in Phoenix in 1991.
- Austin
Eight races so far, 2012-2019
After a five-year absence, the United States Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2012 with a race at the brand new Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas – the country’s first track purpose-built for F1 competition. Unlike Texas’s previous Grand Prix venue, Austin is eminently driveable, with circuit architect Hermann Tilke taking cues from the likes of the Senna S at Interlagos (for Turns 2 and 3), Silverstone’s epic Maggotts/Becketts section (for Turns 4-6), and Istanbul Park’s famous multi-apex Turn 8 (for Turns 16-18).
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton triumphed at the inaugural event after a late-race pass on Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel (the winner in 2013). The circuit held a classic in 2018 as Kimi Raikkonen took the win for Ferrari.
