After many years and attempts of trying to crack the United States, F1 has done so spectacularly in recent times and is now peaking with three grands prix in the country after Las Vegas joined Miami and Austin on the calendar last year.
The Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’ has undoubtedly had a galvanising effect but the sport is now under the microscope of the US audience as Red Bull and Verstappen have crushed all in their path over the last two seasons, with the Dutchman winning a record 19 of 22 races in 2023.
Over the horizon, however, there is the enticing prospect of Ford and GM potentially going up against one another, as well as taking on the might of Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, Audi, and Honda.
Early last year it was announced that Ford would form “a long-term strategic partnership” with Red Bull, which is more than just a badging exercise, as the company is assisting the team’s new Powertrains department in the development of the next-gen hybrid power unit that will grace F1 in 2026.
GM, meanwhile, has registered to enter F1 as an engine supplier from 2028 via its Cadillac brand.
GM made clear at the time that its presence would be to power the Andretti Cadillac F1 entry, which has been approved by the FIA from a technical perspective, but with F1 dragging its heels over its financial capability.
Assessing whether GM’s involvement would be a further step in the right direction for F1’s involvement in the US, speaking to select media recently, including Speedcafe, Horner said: “If GM chose to get involved, ideally, it would be through an existing team.
“I’m sure a Ford GM battle…those brands have huge patriotism in the US, huge, huge followings. The Ford brand alone…
“You’re either a Ford person or a GM person, and the competition that could generate could be exciting as well.”
Talk of Andretti becoming the 11th team in F1 has long been a thorny subject, with the majority of the teams against given the dilution of prize money available to them at a time when that pot has grown significantly off the back of the sport’s growth in popularity.
Horner has questioned GM’s intentions with its power unit plan, adding: “You have to look at what is the business model behind what GM is looking to do.
“Is it their project? Is it Andretti’s project? If it’s a genuine GM project and their only option to come into F1 is through an existing franchise, in the same way Audi is doing (with Sauber), you would hope they would do the same.
“Not many years ago, there were a few insolvent teams, and it’s only in recent times that the robustness of the teams is there.
“So you can understand why the teams are reticent to expand and dilute as opposed to saying, you need to join one of the current incumbents, and that’s the nervousness of obviously, I guess, the commercial rights holder.”
For Horner, there is one key component missing for F1 to be even more firmly embraced in the US, and that is a winning driver from the country.
The United States has Logan Sargeant on the grid but at a Williams team that although made progress last season, is far from returning to winning ways.
Assessing the overall health of F1 in the US, Horner said: “If you look at the penetration, you have to recognise that a large percentage of that has come off the Netflix series.
“It has opened up that market, that we now have three races, which would have been unheard of; Ford has come back into Formula 1 which, four years ago, would have been unimaginable, and we have five Fortune 500 companies represented on our car now.
“The fan base is growing, the venues are growing, but I think what Formula 1 needs, for its long-term penetration into the US, is competitive American drivers, and a driver racing for victories.”
As to whether he felt there were any waiting in the wings, he replied: “There are more and more drivers coming through the junior formulas, so it’s just a matter of time.”
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