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Formula 1
COOPER: Austin GP A Smashing Success
Formula One's return to the United States was fantastic for everyone involved...
Celebrity American actor and film director Ron Howard (Right) talks with Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart in the Circuit of the Americas paddock. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
There’s little doubt that the US GP was a huge success on every level, and those of us who are fortunate to travel from race to race are already looking forward to coming back next year.
Against all the odds, Tavo Hellmund’s dream of a race in his hometown came to fruition. The ingredients that he told me about when news of the race first broke in May 2010 created a perfect storm that has hopefully established Austin as a long-term home for F1 in the States.
When it comes to judging popularity, any F1 event is a complex sum of its parts and, of course, is a highly personal choice. For me, Monaco is number one, and always will be, but after that it’s not easy to rank them.
In essence, one inevitably judges the track itself and city it is in or nearby, plus any logistical issues associated with getting there and so on. A dearth of direct flights from Europe and into Sao Paulo is not ideal, but there are other races that aren’t easy to get to. And the elephant in the room, rarely mentioned by anyone praising the race this week, is the huge cost of hotels and lack of reasonably priced accommodation for regular fans.
Both those things are outside the direct control of COTA and F1, but my perspective is that there is nothing else that the event can be criticized for – even the predicted traffic chaos didn’t happen. I can’t vouch for the fan experience, and I’m sure the cost of tickets and food and drink at the venue, and the compulsory park and ride system, caused a few grumbles. But hopefully that was outweighed by the pleasure people derived from being at what was a very special event.
Everybody loved the city – the nightlife on 6th Street was hugely appealing for obvious reasons, but there was plenty more to see in a city that prides itself on being ‘weird.’ It reminded me a lot of Adelaide, former host to the Australian GP, which is a similarly sized city – and a lot cozier than Melbourne. Everyone I met was very friendly and curious to know about our gypsy lifestyle.
Then there was the venue itself. Street races are OK in the right place, and Weehawken, N.J., could yet prove to be that place. But F1 cars are seen at their best on a road course with quick corners. And Austin most certainly trumped all the other 21st century tracks that Hermann Tilke and his team have designed and built over the past few years.
It might have lacked some of the flourishes we’ve seen elsewhere – unlike Abu Dhabi there was no marina or neighboring billion dollar hotel – but the facilities were pretty impressive. And what really counts is the ribbon of asphalt, and thanks to the local topography, COTA had a head start on many other modern venues that were built essentially on flat swamplands (like China) or in deserts (like Bahrain and Abu Dhabi).
All the other Tilke tracks, with the notable exception of Delhi, were built with government money. COTA was created not just with private funds but in a country where labor costs are somewhat higher than the other places Tilke has worked in. In addition, there are a lot of rules and regulations, and the democratic process ensures that there will always be folks who object. That hasn’t been a problem with the Asian facilities, where often the government has sanctioned the whole thing, but COTA had a few minefields to negotiate.
The result was worth it. It is clearly by far the best road course facility in the USA, and while it’s hard to compare it directly with the major superspeedways in terms of infrastructure, it is arguably the best equipped motorsports venue in the country. If you disagree I’ll qualify that by saying I’m not taking into account the decades of history associated with the likes of Indianapolis, Charlotte and Daytona, and which give those places much of their ambience.
Looking further afield, it has to be the most impressive all-new permanent facility built in the western world in many decades. Leave aside Tilke’s Asian tracks and venues that have had a facelift, and it’s hard to come up with anything else in Europe that matches it, depending on whether you class Turkey as Asian (and officially that’s where the track sits).
“I have to say congratulations to everybody here and Bernie (Ecclestone) and the organizers,” Lotus boss Eric Boullier told me after the race. “The track is nice, there was no issue with the organization, attendance was incredible, not just for the fans but also the hospitality.
“We have some American partners and they are very delighted about how the weekend went. The race was good, the show was nice, we just now need to capitalize on this. From the inside, it was a great event, and I’m very interested to get the reaction of the fans. The next three years will be crucial for, let’s say, the sympathy we can get in the USA.”
“I think they’ve done a great job on the track,” Mercedes F1 CEO Nick Fry told me. “It has got a bit of everything: there’s a decent straight, some changes in elevation, the long sweeping turns such as you find at places like Silverstone. As a driver’s track it’s absolutely first class.
“I think today’s race was entertaining, the battle at the front was a good one, and I hope people went away with a smile on their face. I think the whole thing has been a huge success from every point of view.”
The packed grandstands told their own story, and so, too, did the busy paddock. All weekend it was bursting with celebrities and corporate high rollers, and like it or not, the latter are the guys who ultimately make the wheels of our sport turn.
“This was one of our top three most crowded hospitalities, because we have an American brand on our shirts,” said Boullier. “We also have a lot of ongoing discussions with American companies – it looks very positive, but only time will tell us. A lot of people I met said it was the first time they’d come to Austin, and they were happy to come because it was a part of America they’d never seen before.”
The packed Paddock Club hospitality suites, where companies pay thousands of dollars for each weekend pass, were the real success of the race. Bear in mind that in Korea a few weeks ago most teams and sponsors had not a single guest. In Austin, teams were counting them in the hundreds, and millions of dollars were spent on entertaining.
“I think this is absolutely top of the list in terms of the number of important people at an event,” says Fry. “That’s a combination of celebrities that are of interest to the general population, and make the whole thing what it is, right through to a lot of local people who have small and medium sized technology companies.”
It didn’t happen by chance: “What the organizers have also managed to do, which is quite unique, is have a number of business seminars around the event. On Thursday we were speaking to 300 local business people who run important companies about the economics of F1, how it could benefit Austin and Texas.
“The following day the British ambassador to the US hosted a tech rally, which was all about the technology of F1, and especially in the context of the fact that eight of the teams come from the UK. Mercedes and Williams and McLaren all presented how technology could be used in other fields, in defense, in space, and aerospace. That was followed by a reception that the Texas governor also attended, and Jackie Stewart gave one of his great speeches.”
Could this all have happened in Indianapolis, the home of the race until 2007? No, says Fry.
“I think the difference is that Austin is a very significant technological town, it’s got a lot of very high tech businesses. There’s a lot of technology in this area, there’s clearly also a lot of wealth in this area, and obviously it’s a huge college town. On top of that, it’s well known for its music scene. The combination of the technological side, the educational side, the entertainment side means that it’s an appealing place for people to come and visit.”
The key, as Boullier hints, is sustainability. After its first year, the novelty value of F1 in Indianapolis tailed off pretty quickly. In contrast, it may be that Austin only gets bigger as those who were a little skeptical this time around realize that it’s not to be missed.
“People are always a little bit concerned about the first race because there’s no track record,” says Fry. “It was the same in Abu Dhabi, and you can see how that’s grown over the years we’ve been here. I think here the question mark was, is the track going to be finished, etc.? You didn’t know what to expect. I think there’s a natural conservatism, let’s wait and see. This has been such a huge success. I think many important companies will be looking at it and saying, ‘How can we jump on the bandwagon?’”
Logic suggests that last weekend’s success can only help those trying to put the New Jersey event together. Hopefully, the sort of people who have the money to make it happen will look at how many VIPs, corporate types and race fans made it to Austin, and work out just how much easier it would be to make something similar happen just across the water from Manhattan. It could be quite an event.
Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Against all the odds, Tavo Hellmund’s dream of a race in his hometown came to fruition. The ingredients that he told me about when news of the race first broke in May 2010 created a perfect storm that has hopefully established Austin as a long-term home for F1 in the States.
When it comes to judging popularity, any F1 event is a complex sum of its parts and, of course, is a highly personal choice. For me, Monaco is number one, and always will be, but after that it’s not easy to rank them.
In essence, one inevitably judges the track itself and city it is in or nearby, plus any logistical issues associated with getting there and so on. A dearth of direct flights from Europe and into Sao Paulo is not ideal, but there are other races that aren’t easy to get to. And the elephant in the room, rarely mentioned by anyone praising the race this week, is the huge cost of hotels and lack of reasonably priced accommodation for regular fans.
Both those things are outside the direct control of COTA and F1, but my perspective is that there is nothing else that the event can be criticized for – even the predicted traffic chaos didn’t happen. I can’t vouch for the fan experience, and I’m sure the cost of tickets and food and drink at the venue, and the compulsory park and ride system, caused a few grumbles. But hopefully that was outweighed by the pleasure people derived from being at what was a very special event.
Everybody loved the city – the nightlife on 6th Street was hugely appealing for obvious reasons, but there was plenty more to see in a city that prides itself on being ‘weird.’ It reminded me a lot of Adelaide, former host to the Australian GP, which is a similarly sized city – and a lot cozier than Melbourne. Everyone I met was very friendly and curious to know about our gypsy lifestyle.
Then there was the venue itself. Street races are OK in the right place, and Weehawken, N.J., could yet prove to be that place. But F1 cars are seen at their best on a road course with quick corners. And Austin most certainly trumped all the other 21st century tracks that Hermann Tilke and his team have designed and built over the past few years.
It might have lacked some of the flourishes we’ve seen elsewhere – unlike Abu Dhabi there was no marina or neighboring billion dollar hotel – but the facilities were pretty impressive. And what really counts is the ribbon of asphalt, and thanks to the local topography, COTA had a head start on many other modern venues that were built essentially on flat swamplands (like China) or in deserts (like Bahrain and Abu Dhabi).
All the other Tilke tracks, with the notable exception of Delhi, were built with government money. COTA was created not just with private funds but in a country where labor costs are somewhat higher than the other places Tilke has worked in. In addition, there are a lot of rules and regulations, and the democratic process ensures that there will always be folks who object. That hasn’t been a problem with the Asian facilities, where often the government has sanctioned the whole thing, but COTA had a few minefields to negotiate.
The result was worth it. It is clearly by far the best road course facility in the USA, and while it’s hard to compare it directly with the major superspeedways in terms of infrastructure, it is arguably the best equipped motorsports venue in the country. If you disagree I’ll qualify that by saying I’m not taking into account the decades of history associated with the likes of Indianapolis, Charlotte and Daytona, and which give those places much of their ambience.
Looking further afield, it has to be the most impressive all-new permanent facility built in the western world in many decades. Leave aside Tilke’s Asian tracks and venues that have had a facelift, and it’s hard to come up with anything else in Europe that matches it, depending on whether you class Turkey as Asian (and officially that’s where the track sits).
“I have to say congratulations to everybody here and Bernie (Ecclestone) and the organizers,” Lotus boss Eric Boullier told me after the race. “The track is nice, there was no issue with the organization, attendance was incredible, not just for the fans but also the hospitality.
“We have some American partners and they are very delighted about how the weekend went. The race was good, the show was nice, we just now need to capitalize on this. From the inside, it was a great event, and I’m very interested to get the reaction of the fans. The next three years will be crucial for, let’s say, the sympathy we can get in the USA.”
“I think they’ve done a great job on the track,” Mercedes F1 CEO Nick Fry told me. “It has got a bit of everything: there’s a decent straight, some changes in elevation, the long sweeping turns such as you find at places like Silverstone. As a driver’s track it’s absolutely first class.
“I think today’s race was entertaining, the battle at the front was a good one, and I hope people went away with a smile on their face. I think the whole thing has been a huge success from every point of view.”
The packed grandstands told their own story, and so, too, did the busy paddock. All weekend it was bursting with celebrities and corporate high rollers, and like it or not, the latter are the guys who ultimately make the wheels of our sport turn.
“This was one of our top three most crowded hospitalities, because we have an American brand on our shirts,” said Boullier. “We also have a lot of ongoing discussions with American companies – it looks very positive, but only time will tell us. A lot of people I met said it was the first time they’d come to Austin, and they were happy to come because it was a part of America they’d never seen before.”
The packed Paddock Club hospitality suites, where companies pay thousands of dollars for each weekend pass, were the real success of the race. Bear in mind that in Korea a few weeks ago most teams and sponsors had not a single guest. In Austin, teams were counting them in the hundreds, and millions of dollars were spent on entertaining.
“I think this is absolutely top of the list in terms of the number of important people at an event,” says Fry. “That’s a combination of celebrities that are of interest to the general population, and make the whole thing what it is, right through to a lot of local people who have small and medium sized technology companies.”
It didn’t happen by chance: “What the organizers have also managed to do, which is quite unique, is have a number of business seminars around the event. On Thursday we were speaking to 300 local business people who run important companies about the economics of F1, how it could benefit Austin and Texas.
“The following day the British ambassador to the US hosted a tech rally, which was all about the technology of F1, and especially in the context of the fact that eight of the teams come from the UK. Mercedes and Williams and McLaren all presented how technology could be used in other fields, in defense, in space, and aerospace. That was followed by a reception that the Texas governor also attended, and Jackie Stewart gave one of his great speeches.”
Could this all have happened in Indianapolis, the home of the race until 2007? No, says Fry.
“I think the difference is that Austin is a very significant technological town, it’s got a lot of very high tech businesses. There’s a lot of technology in this area, there’s clearly also a lot of wealth in this area, and obviously it’s a huge college town. On top of that, it’s well known for its music scene. The combination of the technological side, the educational side, the entertainment side means that it’s an appealing place for people to come and visit.”
The key, as Boullier hints, is sustainability. After its first year, the novelty value of F1 in Indianapolis tailed off pretty quickly. In contrast, it may be that Austin only gets bigger as those who were a little skeptical this time around realize that it’s not to be missed.
“People are always a little bit concerned about the first race because there’s no track record,” says Fry. “It was the same in Abu Dhabi, and you can see how that’s grown over the years we’ve been here. I think here the question mark was, is the track going to be finished, etc.? You didn’t know what to expect. I think there’s a natural conservatism, let’s wait and see. This has been such a huge success. I think many important companies will be looking at it and saying, ‘How can we jump on the bandwagon?’”
Logic suggests that last weekend’s success can only help those trying to put the New Jersey event together. Hopefully, the sort of people who have the money to make it happen will look at how many VIPs, corporate types and race fans made it to Austin, and work out just how much easier it would be to make something similar happen just across the water from Manhattan. It could be quite an event.
Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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