“I think a lot of people are brought up in an environment with cars and Formula 1, specifically in Europe and Asia, and pretty much every part of the world that isn’t America,” says Abigail Kaufman (Form III), a racing enthusiast here at Fieldston. F1’s popularity in the United States, however, has been quickly growing over the last few years. Why is F1’s popularity increasing?
“‘Drive to Survive’ was a pivotal point in motor sports because it brought something that was very cultural into the online world and added dramatic effect because of the reality show aspects,” comments Kaufman about the Netflix sensation that has motor racing fanatics glued to their screens each season. One history teacher at Fieldston commented, “Americans sometimes forget that high speed auto racing was a core element of the American experience and car culture. It was a key cultural promoter of automobile sales in 20th century America that was inventing the industry. To this day everyone knows the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR culture is deeply embedded in the American psyche in the West and South. Grand Prix racing was once highly prized but faded in the 1970s. It’s fascinating to see the revival.” So, now that F1 has gradually become part of the American sports DNA, we Americans are beginning to understand more about its characteristics and appeal.
This weekend, Austin, Texas will host the second Grand Prix race out of three planned in the United States in 2023. That is the most number of Grand Prix races in one country in the 2023 racing calendar. So what does an F1 novice have to look forward to when watching a race, and understanding the sport in general? The answer is much more than meets the eye.
Jerry Hairston (Form III) has a pretty good handle on the key components of F1 racing. “The tires are very important because they provide the car’s grip on the accelerated roadway,” explains Hairston. Aside from the rev of the engine, the screeching of the tires as they take hairpin turns on the track are part of the very recognizable soundtrack of a Grand Prix racing event.
The racing cars certainly look very sporty, but there is function to that racing form. The teams that design the cars come from world famous car makers like Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Honda, and Renault, to name a few. “The aerodynamics of the car, like the side pods, front and rear wings, are the key to the speed of the car, by creating drag and downforce which make the cars go so fast. Finally, the engine is the powerhouse of the car,” explains Hairston. Many innovations in the cars we drive today have come from modifications made to F1 cars over the last few decades.
So what do these incredibly sophisticated rockets on wheels need to compete for the attention of fanatics? Drivers, naturally. Those drivers come from all over the world, reinforcing F1 as a global sport. Frederico Podda-Heubach (Form IV) shares that “Formula 1 has a global appeal as drivers and the teams embody the culture of nations. People follow the sport because the teams go around the globe flying the flag of their country.”
While some of these drivers have not quite reached household name status like Jordan, Messi or Brady, they do have G.O.A.T status in the hearts of some Fieldston students. Hairston goes old school, referring to Austrian driver from the 1970s and 80s, saying, “Niki Lauda is one of the greatest, surviving a crash and coming back to win 2 championships.” Kaufman considers German racer Sabastian Vettel as her favorite: “When I was younger I watched him in Red Bull … he was brutal and it was insane … he set some crazy records”. Podda-Heubach favors England’s Lewis Hamilton and Germany’s Michael Schumacher because he declares “They won seven world titles”. Podda-Heubach also recognizes the brilliant Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna who he says “was one the most talented drivers whose death improved safety greatly.” On a personal note, the author of this article considers the Dutchman Max Verstappen of Red Bull as the best currently on the grid, and with his recent win in the Austin Grand Prix this last weekend, has secured himself as one of the greats.
In terms of viewership, the amount of interest in F1 has exploded in the last five years. The Circuit of Americas Grand Prix last year in Austin, Texas shattered the US in-person draw by reaching 440,000 spectators. The Miami Grand Prix earlier this year recorded 2.58 million viewers on its ABC debut, the most the sport has received in any American televised event to date. The Las Vegas Grand Prix, the third and final of the races in the US happening later this year, has brought out predictions that viewership records will be broken again in the US.
One thing is for sure when it comes to F1 racing in the United States when asking our Fieldston students: the sport is on the way to its own pole position in creating a seriously major fan base.
