Racing Around The World

F1 has raced in 30 different countries since 1950, when the series of Grand Prix races for the World Championship began. If there was a championship for nations that have hosted the 897 races to date the winner would be Germany with 72 races, followed by England with 67, Italy 64, Monaco 60, France and Belgium 59 each, USA 53, Spain 50, Canada 44, Brazil 41, Holland and Japan 31 each, and so on.

Of these countries only Belgium, England, France, Italy and Monaco were there at the beginning, when the sport was totally Eurocentric. In 2013 just seven of the 19 races were located in Europe. The expansion into Australasia, the Americas and the Middle East is mainly a reflection of the modern version of the sport’s endless pursuit of, and consumption of, more money.

The ever-increasing cost of staging a race has priced out the likes of France, the country that (in 1906)invented Grand Prix racing for automobiles. Another factor accounting for the loss of traditional venues (and the proliferation of bland ‘Tilkedromes’) is the high cost of updating older circuits in the interest of safety. The newer events are funded by governments intent on stimulating economic growth in depressed areas and/or ambitious private promoters hoping to get rich. But the local populace doesn’t always respond with enthusiasm. Turkey lasted from 2005-11, India (2011-13) is not on the 2014 calendar, Korea (2010-13) has a doubtful future, and so on.

If there was a championship for the number of F1 circuits in a country the runaway winner would be the USA. While the likes of Germany, Italy and Japan have each had only three different F1 venues the USGP (first held in 1959) has taken place at 10 circuits in eight different States. The variety of destinations represent failures to maintain a foothold in a wealthy consumer market where the sport’s sponsors desperately want to be. F1 optimists have always maintained that the US is big enough to support several races, and one year there were three, but the fact is the American appetite for the sport has never been as big as the sport thinks it should be. 

 
A promising new home seems to have been found in Austin, Texas, where a well-organised event on an exciting new circuit in a progressively-minded city has worked well in its first two years. Everyone involved has very worked hard to make it succeed but only time will tell if the event takes root and makes a lasting impression. The Circuit Of The Americas slogan is 'Home Of The World Championships.'