US Grand Prix is finally confirmed to be held in the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, after months of speculation regarding its place in the schedule. The organisers have announced that a concert by Taylor Swift is being planned to attract a large crowd for the race which is scheduled during Oct 21-23.
Circuit of the Americas in Austin
Formula One is not as popular in America when compared to the European countries, on top of which, the spectator turnout has been decreasing steadily since 2012. Event organisers have said that the economic incentive to host Formula One races in the North American continent has dramatically decreased. Last year at Austin, a heavy downpour saw a huge decline in the number of tickets sold and those who turned up as well were disappointed with the huge delays. The track turned into a river with water stagnation all over the track, forcing teams and FIA officials delaying the proceedings.
The hosting of Formula One event at Austin is financed heavily by the state and the organisers had having a tough time this year to convince them, after last year’s debacle. The officials in the government office however have lowered the grant for Formula One races as the state liberalised its taxation laws towards such events.
Bobby Epstein, chairman and CEO of Circuit of the Americas said, “We’ve been working pretty closely with the state and I think we understand the calculations better – we have to do a better job of conveying the economic impact to them”. Epstein hopes that this year the event will see a record crowd and rule out the doubts about the future of the US Grand Prix.
Tags: Austin, Circuit of the Americas, F1, FIA, FormulaOne, Motorsport, Motorsports, Taylor Swift, US Grand Prix
