Valtteri Bottas made up for last year and won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, giving him back the lead in the World Drivers' Championship. Formula E had its first proper wet race and I think we learned that this series needs an actual wet weather tire because a lot of cars slid into the barriers and off course and it wasn't puddling. The Supercross championship is pretty much done and dusted. NASCAR was in Talladega and people are still not happy. There was GT3 action in Virginia, a rally in Argentina and touring cars in Hungary. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Should Formula One Return to Indianapolis?
Liberty Media has been in the expansion business ever since it took over Formula One and one area where the company wants to expand is in the United States.
We have been hearing rumblings of a second race in the United States for years. Even before the period of no United States race from 2008-2011 the Formula One manufactures expressed the desire to be in the United States and a second race was in the conversation then.
It is arguable that the United States needs to get one stable event. Austin is in its eighth year but it has had plenty of struggles and it lost $20 million in state funding when it failed to complete a human trafficking prevention plan. Every year seems to be another with fingers crossed because you never know when Formula One will walk away, especially when it is looking at as many venues as it currently is, including in the United States.
The problem is not many of those other United States venues have really gotten off the ground. It doesn't help that none of those exist. Remember Weehawken, New Jersey, in the shadows of Manhattan? That had a full-fledged course, a pit building being constructed and a date on the calendar and it never came to be. I wouldn't hold my breathe on it happening ever let alone in the near future. Even before Liberty Media, Las Vegas was being thrown around but we have never seen a proposed circuit or heard any names behind such a venture. Miami has people behind it, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross being the leader of such a proposal. A course was laid out around in the same area IndyCar and Formula E once used but it was met with a fair amount of pushback and it has been pulled off the table. The difference is Ross has turned his attention from a downtown venue to a course around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the football team he owns.
With a race popping up in Vietnam and other endeavors explored in Denmark, Netherlands, Finland and Argentina there is no guarantee there will be room for a second race in the United States but if there is going to be one, why not go to the only other FIA Grade 1 circuit, a place that has hosted Formula One and is an existing racetrack, Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
You may be thinking we have tried Indianapolis Motor Speedway and after the initial excitement and staggering crowds burned off the race became ho-hum and the 2005 tire fiasco did more damage. While still drawing a respectable size crowd compared to other Formula One races, Indianapolis suffers from its size in some cases. It could draw 100,000 people or even 150,000 people and it would still look empty. On top of that, the road course at Indianapolis met the FIA criteria for a Grade 1 circuit but the actual on-track action left little to be desired.
Why am I asking should Formula One return to Indianapolis?
For starters, it already qualifies to host Formula One. It is an existing track. It doesn't need government funding, it doesn't need approval to close roads and it doesn't need an abundance of track updates, although I am sure a few are needed since the last time Formula One race there in 2007.
While Indianapolis might not draw 250,000 people it would still bring together a large amount of people. Indianapolis is a home of motorsports in the United States. It is meant for big events and it may be the best place for Formula One to try something new.
Since Liberty Media has taken over, Formula One has become more fan-friendly. It is still Formula One. It is still buttoned up and the divide between the drivers and the fans that come out to see them is still very impenetrable unless you have tons of money or know the right people and can get a VIP pass. However, if there is one racetrack that is set up for a great fan experience it is Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Formula One needs a fan-friendly event and Indianapolis would be the perfect Petri dish for the experiment. Other Formula One tracks might not be set up for an influx of fans into areas they otherwise would not be allowed but it would be nothing new to Indianapolis. It gives fans an up-close experience each May and for the NASCAR weekend. Another three days would be nothing new for the track.
On top of bringing Formula One closer, this fan-friendly event would not only apply to access but pricing. We hear about the outrageous pricing at every grand prix, whether it be in Europe, Asia, Australia or North America. Why not have Indianapolis be the price friendly event as well? I know that is a lot easier to say than do because of sanctioning fees but with Liberty Media adding races and in turn getting more in terms of sanctioning fees it could afford to use one event as an experiment and at a discount rate. It would be nice to have one event where spectators do not have to spend a fortune to see Formula One cars compete and also have the luxury of getting close for a good price as well.
There are hurdles. The course Formula One used at Indianapolis has been altered and the IndyCar course is shorter than the FIA regulated circuit length. The only track to receive a waiver for length is Monaco. However, length really doesn't matters. It is all a matter of semantics. If Monaco can receive a waiver, Indianapolis could receive a waiver for its 2.439-mile circuit. If Baku can receive a waiver because the section near the castle is too tight then missing out on the minimum circuit length by less than a tenth of a mile should not matter.
As a matter of fact, why not have this race be a longer race? Why not have this race stand out from all the rest? Instead of an event around 305km, why not have a 400km race around the IMS road course, 102 laps in total? It would at least mix it up. Why not force teams to use three tire compounds during the race? It might force the teams to have a pit stop for fuel but I am sure there is a way Formula One could regulate that in a safe manner and not repeat the woes we saw a decade ago.
Giving the fans more for less is what Indianapolis is all about. Think about ticket pricing for the Indianapolis 500. It could be a lot more expensive than it is but the track has yet to gouge every penny out of the spectators. I think track president Doug Boles is the right man for promoting the fan-friendly Formula One grand prix and he could pack the place while also breaking down the barrier between fans, drivers and teams and making the change comfortable for the drivers and teams who would be prone to a bit of a culture shock.
A place on the calendar would be hard to find. Indianapolis once followed the Canadian Grand Prix and that would make sense but mid-June is close to the Indianapolis 500 and that date did put the facility under a time crunch. Starting in 2020, NASCAR will race on July 4th weekend at Indianapolis, further ruling out a June date. We saw the NASCAR race struggle in the heat of August and though it will only have two years in September, it does not appear that date will be remembered fondly for NASCAR. When Formula One first went to Indianapolis it was in late-September but things have changed and football is bigger in this country. We have seen Austin draw a great crowd despite running on a Sunday during football season in Texas. Indianapolis might be fine if it returned to the schedule in autumn but it might be too close to the Austin race.
Indianapolis will not be returning to the Formula One schedule in 2020 and I do not think the track is actively seeking Formula One back but Indianapolis is in a position where it could give something Formula One it does not have: a second United States race without many headaches and proposing a Formula One race that would stand out from the other 20 on the schedule. Indianapolis is in a position of power if it so chooses to use it.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Valtteri Bottas but did you know....
Jack Aitken and Nicholas Latifi split the Formula Two races from Baku.
Robin Frijns won the Paris ePrix.
Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup race from Talladega. Tyler Reddick won the Grand National Series race.
Thierry Neuville won Rally Argentina, his second consecutive victory.
The #9 K-PAX Racing Bentley of Álvaro Parente and Andy Soucek and the #3 K-PAX Racing Bentley of Rodrigo Baptiste and Maxime Soulet split the Blancpain World Challenge America races from Virginia International Raceway.
Cooper Webb won the Supercross race from East Rutherford, New Jersey, his seventh victory of the season.
Néstor Girolami won the first two World Touring Car Cup races from Hungaroring with Gabriele Tarquini taking the third race.
Coming Up This Weekend
MotoGP has its first European round from Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix.
NASCAR will head to Dover.
IMSA has all its classes back together at Mid-Ohio.
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season opens at Hockenheim and Aston Martin makes its debut.
Blancpain World Challenge Europe is at Brands Hatch for its season opener.
The Supercross season closes in Las Vegas.
The FIA World Endurance Championship returns to Spa-Francorchamps for the second time this season in the penultimate round of this season.
Super GT will be at Fuji.
Supercars will be at Barbagallo Raceway.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
