If Hamilton were a US American, what would his meteoric rise this year have done to F1 in the US? Still no interest or a Tiger Woods like mania? Would the USGP be back in 08? What do you think?
Great question Andreas. During the season, probably not much excitement. But if he were to win the WDC as an American, then you would see a slightly larger American F1 base. Americans have a hard time grasping a race car that does not slightly resemble their daily transportation. Maybe if Honda put Accord decals and Toyota used Camry decals on their respective cars, there might be an increased F1 fan base. Additionally, if your concept were to happen, Bernie would probably back off on some of his financial requirements (aka extortion), and there would be a 2008 USGP at Indianapolis.
If Hamilton were American, he would have never had the opportunities that he has enjoyed. If he did perform well in his early years, he'd be in a US open wheel series or in NASCAR, and you would be calling him just another second-rate American driver. FACT: If a driver is an American, he will never get a fair shot at modern F1
Thanks Ron. I got the idea when I read that LH has roots going to the Caribbean. So close. I'm sure Bernie would be much more agreeable and probably take back some of the stuff he said about the US. At the same time, it might actually be a win situation for Tony as well if fans keep flocking into the stadium. PS: I like your new avatar a LOT better.
I instantly thought of Miss South Carolina when I read this. THE Iraq, kids in South Africa, etc. lol btw, there wouldn't be any Tiger Woods craze imo. No one here would bother waking up at 7AM ET (4AM Pacific) to watch parade laps. Only the few big fans of F1 would.
I wish that you were wrong on this, Tillman, but I think most everybody has smelled the coffee by now. I would say that if LH had been an American he would almost certainly NOT have had the big red-carpet treatment he has been given by Ron Dennis. Probably Scott Speed would serve as a pretty good prototype if this scenario were the case. On the other hand, maybe the Danica Patrick experience could have applied to him in American racing - but probably not anywhere in today's international F1. I also suspect that the American public would have been a little harder on him over the whining than the British seem to have done.
Not if he stays in America. Pretty much anyone who wants a shot at F1 has to go to England and race in the junior formulae there. That's been the case for decades. I recall one young driver named da Silva, Ayrton somebody, did just that in the early '80s. Of course these days it takes much deeper pockets, probably 7 figures, to do that. But assume a rich dad and a talented lad come from the US and make it big in the UK, with a top drive in F1. Does the US embrace F1? Not from where I'm sitting. Neither Andretti made much of a dent. Most Americans probably don't even know the Andrettis pere et fils ever raced in F1. Most Americans never heard the name Le Mans, for that matter, except on a Pontiac. Grand Prix? That's a Pontiac too, and that's all it is to Americans. F1 market penetration in the US is effectively zero, and IMO always will be. Might as well ask water to run uphill. Hey, Europeans never heard of Bear Bryant!
I would be as impressed with him as I'am now..It would make no odds to me where he comes from.. USA needs a good driver in F1. I know if I lived in the USA I would still be a big fan ,although if I was brought up there not sure I would have got into it so respect to all you guy's. But I'am not moving we got Top gear and the new series is on..Clarkson for brit PM I say.. Well might change my mind if he was an Aussie (JOKE)....................I LIKE WEBBER OK
The only way F1 would become big in the U.S. is if Ford decided they wanted to make a factory effort with a U.S. driver. An all American team is the only way to get Americans interested.
Americans for the most part don't grasp the concept of making both right and left hand turns during a race. IMO it would take an act of God to make F1 even noticeable in the States.
I may be wrong, but aren't almost all of the F1 teams based in England, around coventry? I remember a few years ago (maybe more than a few) when Honda was tops, and they were getting their motors made in England. Got to see a few of the parts, and frankly, wasn't very impressed, we were using better on our motorcycles. Art
8 of 12 teams, and the motorsport industry in the UK is huge, the world center. I once read that motorsport is the 2nd largest employer in Britain, after the NHS. The MIA (Motorsport Industry Association) says motorsport employs 38,500 people in the UK. edit to add link: http://www.the-mia.com/index.cfm?section=5&editID=79
IMO if you look at someone like Nicky Hayden, '06 MotoGP Champion, it would give you a clue. It probably wouldn't make that big of a difference for the sport in the US.
You want a good international series in the US? Try ALMS GT2 class next year. Joining Porsche and Ferrari (okay, and Panoz) will be a vette or 2, a viper, and a Ford GT. Here come the Americans! You guys can keep the uber-snob F1 series. Multi-class, endurance road racing is where it is at, baby! Sports car racing is king!
Even stipulating that all you say is true: nobody watches it, nobody pays for it, nobody tunes in on TV, advertisers are not exactly beating down the door. All the viewers and money are in NASCAR and F1. The rest of the racing world are ugly stepsisters, regardless of the objective quality of the racing. And calling F1 snobby shows what you don't know about the world market. Bernie has got every yob on the planet tuning in, except for the US, which has 5% of the world's people. The other 95% are watching F1, if there is a TV anywhere in reach.
Breath in, breath out. It was friendly banter. I have been to plenty of the very poor areas of the world, and seen the total worship of F1 even amongst the poorest.
No...... He would not be in F1, at any level. He was born at right time in the right place and he turned his talent into Gold.
