05/02/2021
NEWS STORY
As Stefano Domenicali admits that the sport is still targeting further expansion in the US, the Italian insists that improving the sport's exposure in the country will be a "huge payoff".
Ever since Liberty Media took control of the sport one of its key targets has been to increase F1's exposure in its own backyard.
Four years down the line and a second race – far less third or fourth as originally hoped for - in the country that effectively gave the word the automobile is looking as remote as ever.
In Miami local residents continue to wage war on the proposed track, while the aborted attempt to stage a race in New York is best forgotten, likewise the return to Las Vegas.
Insisting that the sport has not given up on Miami and is still targeting at least one more race in America, Stefano Domenicali insists that improving the sport's exposure in the US will result in a "huge payoff".
"I can guarantee to you there is now big interest in the USA with Formula 1," he told reporters in a media conference. "What we don't have to do, in terms of mistake, is that the US needs to be fed with F1 news every day.
"It's wrong to go there one week, and let's say you have an incredible push one week before the Austin race and then being silent," he continued. "What we have is a plan of communication quite strong in the US. We need to hammer information with the right channels in a continuous way.
"It will take a lot of start-up time in terms of investment," he admitted, "but the payoff will be huge. So this is part of our strategic global communication campaign that we need to push this year."
Referring to Miami, he said: "Miami is more advanced in terms of discussion, but there are others in other areas of the American country. But they are not at the level where I can say, 'yes, they are there', and I can anticipate something happening.
"I think that in the next couple of months we will decide what there will be in terms of possible discussion with regard to that country, and eventual rotation or stabilizing with two (races) that are fixed. So it's a work in progress."