F1 chief says what he really thinks about US Grand Prix as announcement made over future
The United States Grand Prix is here to stay for another decade and F1 is targeting 'exponential' growth in the US market following a mega-money TV deal with Apple
Formula 1 chief Stefano Domenicali declared the sport is "thriving" across the pond as he announced the United States Grand Prix will be around for at least another decade. A contract extension was confirmed on Sunday which guarantees the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will be visited annually by F1 until at least 2034.
The track, known colloquially as COTA, has become a fans' favourite since debuting in 2012. That race was won by Lewis Hamilton, driving for McLaren, and saw around 265,000 attend over the three days. Weekend attendances at COTA these days are in excess of 430,000 with F1 booming in the USA.
F1 says it has around 52 million fans in the country today, an 11 percent increase year-on-year. The sport visits three times per season with Miami and Las Vegas also host cities.
But COTA, on the outskirts of Austin, is the most universally-loved of the three venues and Domenicali said he was delighted to secure its long-term future in F1.
He said: "Since 2012, the United States Grand Prix has continued to grow in strength and popularity. I want to thank the City of Austin and Travis County for hosting us. As Formula 1 continues to grow and thrive in the United States, we are proud to extend our partnership."
F1 hopes to boost that growth further through its new US broadcast deal with Apple TV, announced earlier this week. A five-year deal has been agreed which will see Apple's subscription service take the rights from Disney-owned ESPN. Apple has agreed to fork out F1 more than £110million per year for the pleasure – nearly twice the amount ESPN was paying annually.
READ MORE: United States Grand Prix makes major announcement just hours before F1 raceREAD MORE: Lewis Hamilton footage emerges of horror US GP incident as debris flies at his headThe technology giant wants to build on the commercial success of its F1 Hollywood movie, starring Brad Pitt, which was released in the summer and grossed £465m at the box office. Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of services, announced "exponential" growth is being targeted in the US market.
He said: "We're excited about the opportunity of growth in the US. Formula 1 has got way bigger, but the honest truth is it can still grow exponentially. It's a huge, huge opportunity. It's more than just racing, it's a culture – the fanbase loves the drivers and team bosses. We're going to bring innovation. It'll be easy for fans to get all the access, we couldn't be more excited."
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
Domenicali agreed, adding: "Apple represents an incredible [opportunity] to grow what we have done so far as F1, and also in the US. The reach will be phenomenal, and the market has huge potential. The average age of the US audience is very young, and diversified, so we believe what Apple brings to what we are doing will be phenomenal."
Sky Sports continues to hold the broadcast rights for F1 in the UK with exclusivity until 2029. Though the British Grand Prix is made free-to-air every year thanks to an agreement with Channel 4, which also produces a highlights show for other races.