F1 is "pushing boundaries and breaking the glass ceiling in a manner which would be unambiguously imposing" if it was not in the U.S., but after 75 races at 11 different American venues, F1 has "finally cracked the American code," according to Kieran Jackson of the London INDEPENDENT. There are now three races, with this week’s grand prix on the Las Vegas strip following on from a "highly successful rebirth" of the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin and a street track in Miami. Former F1 driver Scott Speed said, “At my kids’ soccer game, you’ll see someone with a Red Bull shirt on. It’s been a long time coming but there is a noticeable difference when you see people walk around in F1 apparel. That’s very different to when I was in the sport.” In the decades since, F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone and his team of millionaire race-makers had "flirted ferociously with the American market -- a crowded field of ultra-popular US sports, college competition and their own brand of motorsport with Indy Car and NASCAR." Jackson wondered where "does F1 in the United States go from here?" Like any sport, the spectacle can "only do so much when the sport is not at its most enthralling." Driver Max Verstappen’s two-year supremacy has "not aided the product" but periods of domination are "not uncommon" in F1. Nonetheless, F1’s expansion in the U.S. can be "decreed as nothing other than a roaring success." The "most lucrative sporting market on the planet" -- in terms of fans and finances -- has "finally taken" to F1 (London INDEPENDENT, 11/14).
START YOUR ENGINES: In London, Tom Cary noted by the standards of one of the "most nakedly opportunistic, bombastic fleshpots in the world," the hype for this weekend’s inaugural Las Vegas GP has "been through the roof." McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown "believes for once the hard sell is justified." Brown said, “It’s going to be the biggest grand prix ever. The largest sporting event in the world this year." Aggressively pursued by American owners Liberty Media, a fanbase weaned on five seasons of Netflix’s "Drive to Survive" docu-series is "still growing," and is "likely to grow further still" when the Brad Pitt-Jerry Bruckheimer F1 film currently in production hits cinemas. F1 is "adamant" that as far as ticket sales go, all primary inventory was "purchased through authorised official agents or online via Ticketmaster." They are "anticipating sell-out crowds of 100,000-plus each day," and in terms of hotels, casinos such as the MGM Grand and the Wynn Las Vegas are "predicting record profits" (London TELEGRAPH, 11/14).
