Yesterday's F1 U.S. Grand Prix drew a "crowd of 107,779" to Circuit of the Americas, according to Suzanne Halliburton of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. Race winner Lewis Hamilton, "wanting to impress the Texas crowd, asked to borrow Mario Andretti’s black cowboy hat during his podium party." Hamilton: "This is an incredible place" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/3). Hamilton: "I've had incredible support from fans this week. There are tons of flags out there and team shirts and caps. I really am so grateful. To win here for the second time is just fantastic" (USA TODAY, 11/3). But in Austin, Sean Shapiro writes the U.S. "is still very much the Wild West of untapped potential for F1." While the USGP "has been well attended all three years in Central Texas, the sport hasn’t caught on with the world’s largest consumer base the way F1 bosses would like." The "potential of turning a small foothold in Central Texas into national attention" makes the USGP "one of the most important races on the F1 calendar." Company teams Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari "want to continue pushing their products in America, while all nine teams have at least one sponsor that is based or doing business in the United States -- and all of them certainly would be open for more." Former F1 driver Mario Andretti said that F1 "needs to market driver’s personalities, similar to NASCAR, while it also needs to be recognized that motor sports fans are likely willing to embrace multiple disciplines" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/3).
LOCAL FLAVOR: COTA organizers looked at what Austin stands for to ensure yesterday's race is about more than racing and remains a fan favorite. The organizers took a page out of Austin’s playbook and turned the circuit and part of the city’s downtown area into big Texas-sized festivals, complete with live music and authentic food. "The race is what it is, and we have a couple of great support races that we are really excited about, with the Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Supercup,” said COTA CEO Jason Dial. "But after that it’s really about the entertainment value." Dial added that the circuit looks at what it can do bigger and better every year. Dial: "The folks want to enjoy the entire day out here. You have three, four or five hours worth of racing, but they also want to enjoy three, four or five hours worth of entertainment on top of that" (H.J. Mai, SBD Global). Meanwhile, in Austin, Cedric Golden notes Int'l Motorsports HOFer Jackie Stewart, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Olympian Lolo Jones, Univ. of Texas men's AD Steve Patterson and actors Pamela Anderson, Keanu Reeves and Matt LeBlanc were all "spotted" at COTA yesterday (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/3). The N.Y. POST notes Reeves, singer Geri Halliwell and NBC's Brian Williams were seen "taking a tour of the Williams Martini Formula 1 team garage" yesterday (N.Y. POST, 11/3).
HEY, BIG SPENDERS: The STATESMAN's Shapiro writes as F1 "continues to hit new record spending levels, there is a clear divide between big-budget and small-budget teams." The absence of the Marussia and Caterham teams "has just thrust the issue further into the public eye." While "lower-budget teams, including Lotus, Force India and Sauber, are calling for control, the larger teams -- which also dominate the standings -- are defending their position." The three aforementioned lower-budget teams "were considering boycotting" yesterday's race, "but ended up racing." Fielding "enough healthy teams with two cars each is ideal." But F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has said that three-car teams "could be a solution" next season (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/3).
