BREAKING: America for F1? - Here’s how Formula 1’s tectonic plates are moving (1 of 2)

Last weekend‘s Miami Grand Prix was a tremendous success. However, there is more than meets the eye. Celebrities, sold-out grandstands, pants and jewellery were the talk of the weekend. On the surface, these are silly topics. However, they signify tectonic plates move in the F1 world.

BREAKING: America for F1?

F1 in the United States. It’s a topic that I am invested in a little more than most because I studied it for my dissertation. Since my dissertation, which I wrote in 2021, Formula One has exploded in the States and continues to expand.

The Miami Grand Prix, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix scheduled for next year, symbolised the arrival of F1 in the American mainstream. Just shy of 250,000 attended the event over the weekend, which saw the track wrap around the Miami Dolphins American Football stadium.

The Super Bowl got 99.2 million US TV viewers and F1, 2.6 million for context. So there is more room for growth. That said, the Dolphins get 65,000 turn up when they fill the stadium for a football game. So commercially, the stadium owner Stephen Ross won’t be short of a bob or two with F1 rocking up for the next decade.

“Stefano Domenicali will have had a few phone calls on Monday morning”

The thing is, Ross isn’t the only American Football franchise owner in the United States. Others will be looking on. Especially if they can charge hundreds if not thousands for tickets. The success of Las Vagas in 2023 will be defining. Still, it’s safe to say that Stefano Domenicali will have had a few phone calls on Monday morning asking for a chat about F1 coming to a new part of America.

There is no doubt then that F1 is booming in the United States like never before. But the sport needs to be careful. It is equally vital that F1 maintains its global fanbase.

The Americas North, Central and South seem covered by three US races, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Although, you might argue another South American race would be good in a region that has historically embraced F1. Perhaps Chile - we know Santiago welcomed Formula E.

Asia and Oceania is a market that F1, particularly under Bernie Ecclestone, targeted for a while. We still have Singapore, Japan and Australia - races that F1 needs to stay on the calendar. I wonder whether the Asian market may be left behind, despite it being arguably as commercially important as the US. Toto Wolff has made comments suggesting that he feels similarly.”

The gaping hole on the F1 schedule is, of course, Africa”

The gaping hole on the F1 schedule is, of course, Africa. It’s the continent set for the most growth in the next century, and it has an audience interested in F1. South Africa is an obvious destination, but ideally, more races would occur. I can imagine Nigeria being an incredible atmosphere for a race.

Europe is the traditional heartland and will more than likely remain engaged, with drivers, teams and legendary tracks all heralding from that neck of the woods. However, if F1 is going to expand globally, it will need to drop some races in Europe.

“Monaco is under threat as a race”

The most troubling thing here is that Monaco is under threat as a race. The streets of Monte Carlo are part of the fabric of F1; we need a solution to ensure it remains. The two obvious ones are that Monaco pays more than the discounted fee that it currently does for a Grand Prix (it's the only one that doesn't) or widens the track to allow better racing. Although, the latter is a logistical nightmare. You could make the cars smaller and lighter, akin to the early 2000s. Yet that doesn’t seem likely with heavy hybrid power units and chassis the size of boats the order of the decade.

As F1’s success continues, the decisions made by Liberty Media will become ever-pertinent. We keep seeing long, multi-year contracts with countries. Perhaps, the best decision is to have core races in each continent that remain on the calendar but to rotate all of these other brilliant races year by year.

This would keep things exciting and engaging, balancing F1’s value without over-saturating the audience with too much of a good thing.

Let me know what races you think should stay on the calendar every season.

Part 2 coming soon.

He's back! - How somebody posting a photo from the Grand Canyon nearly broke the internet

If you hadn't heard, the Abu Dhabi Grand at the end of last year's enthralling F1 season was a little bit controversial. Lewis Hamilton was dominant. However, Max Verstappen stole the race and the championship on the final lap thanks to some weird decisions from race control. 

Whatever your opinion - check Twitter, there are many - Lewis Hamilton was left heartbroken and "disillusioned". He had lost the championship that would elevate him to undisputed 'greatest of all time' status through no fault of his own. The other elephant in the room was that the FIA needed to ensure that never such a thing would happen again. 

Hamilton's team, Mercedes, protested the race result - a protest rejected by the FIA. Mercedes then appealed this before retracting the appeal, given that it knew the FIA would be the ones "marking its own homework," and there isn't much satisfaction in winning a championship in court. Mercedes did say, though, that the FIA needed to make changes.

The intriguing thing throughout all of this was the complete silence from Lewis Hamilton. He only spoke briefly after the race to congratulate Verstappen. He appeared in public twice to be knighted and celebrate Mercedes' team championship win. 

Silence is powerful.

The muteness accompanied by rumours of retirement has been the biggest talking point in the F1 community since then. The driver, who is arguably bigger than F1, may have been pushed away by the sport that he loves and to which he has given everything. 

But then, on Saturday evening, up pops Lewis on Instagram and Twitter, posting a photo of him turning and smiling at the camera in a desert. The caption: "I've been gone. Now I'm back!".

To say that this post caused a stir would be an understatement. It was the trending topic on Twitter, it made a Sky News bulletin, and t received more interaction than Max Verstappen's world championship celebration post. Yes, it's all a bit silly. But what does this all mean?

On the surface, it appears that Lewis Hamilton is not retiring, which is great news for Formula One, British sport and the world in general. You want the best in the world doing what they are the best at - otherwise, it feels a little bit like a waste.

Below the surface will be more intriguing. Lewis was said to have needed some assurances from the FIA before committing to another season in F1. So what deal has been agreed? 

Firstly, changes would need to be made in the FIA, as we have already said - this is a world-class sport and cannot be run by primarily ammeters. Many people call for Michael Masi, the race director, to be sacked, but I don't think that is helpful. As obtuse as he was immediately after the race in Abu Dhabi, he was put under extreme pressure and needs more support. 

Secondly, I suspect Lewis, like many, would have been calling for the laws of racing to be made clear and consistent. Last season, Max was over the limit and unpunished on multiple occasions. For drivers' safety and the fans' understanding, this needs to be addressed, and Lewis has the bargaining power to have that impact. 

Finally, he may have used his bargaining power to promote the long term goals of Lewis in the sport. F1 is elitist. Despite the 'we race as one' messages, it needs to do more for sustainability and be more accessible for competitors of all backgrounds. I wonder whether Lewis has encouraged a more effective strategy in this direction. 

Let me be clear. Lewis' silence was not simply a calculated move to change the sport. He was hurt, so taking time away from the public eye will have been extremely healthy and necessary after that draining season. The way that Lewis conducts himself and speaks this season will be fascinating. And his pursuit of title number 8, which he understandably feels should be his, will be enthralling to watch.

I am buzzing for F1 2022, and I hope you are too. Join us on AJontheLine for every twist and turn.

Britain’s love affair with losers has helped Lewis’ UK popularity - but at what cost?

Last week, from the train to the pub to the water cooler (if they are even safe nowadays), the world was talking about Formula One. As somebody who had watched, talked about and introduced people to F1 since I was seven, the lead up to the weekend was many emotions. Mostly pride. 

Sadly, F1 has a habit of shooting itself in the foot. Last weekend, it chose a rocket launcher, forgetting meritocracy in pursuit of drama and creating controversy in the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - listen to more on that here. 

As the world watched on, the victim of Sunday's cock up was Sir Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion led 57 and a half of the 58 laps of the final race in which he needed to win to become champion. In the penultimate lap, decision-making by the Race Director (referee) gave Max Verstappen the advantage that he needed to overtake Hamilton and snatch the championship. Did Max deserve the championship? Yes. Should Lewis have been the champion? Unquestionably.

This week, F1 has been on the news and trending on social media, with a public outcry for an apparent injustice within the meritocratic realm of sport. From Piers Morgan to Samual L Jackson, the world was upset on Hamilton's behalf. The 'next goal wins' analogy has been thrown around and is a great way to describe what people who love F1 as much as I still don't understand. 

“What people love even more is seeing a champion fall, which is what happened on Sunday.”

People love a young champion who defies odds to represent their people on the world stage. Lewis Hamilton has been that and more for the past 15 years. What people love even more is seeing a champion fall, which is what happened on Sunday.

This wasn't a fall from grace or a question of being outclassed by a young buck. Lewis Hamilton has what it took to take on Max Verstappen in what is widely agreed to have been a minimally inferior car. Moreover, a broken Hamilton congratulated the Verstappen camp, losing with the dignity many would have not blamed him for putting to one side. Lewis' sportsmanship in the face of adversity was almost as awe-inspiring as the audacity required by the Race Director to break his own rules. 

“However, that pessimism might well have been the reason that the British public has never really taken to arguably their greatest sporting champion.” 

One of the first blog posts I wrote talked about how Britain's negativity niggled with its success in a sporting arena. By no means did the UK's pessimistic mentality impact the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, that pessimism might well have been the reason that the British public has never really taken to arguably their greatest sporting champion. 

Something changed on Sunday. The outcry in this country for the injustice (yes, I know there are more significant problems in the world) was massive. On top of this, you never heard anyone criticising Hamilton - something that has become the norm. But how could you? The guy has done everything, from driving to sportsmanship, perfectly. For once, there wasn't really a way that the media could spin it in a way that would make Lewis look bad. Like the England team in the Euros this summer, he had looked destined to win until it fell apart cruelly in the closing minutes. 

“But what impact has this daylight robbery had on the British superstar, who we forget is still a human?”

While he lost the championship, Lewis Hamilton seems to have finally won some British hearts. But what impact has this daylight robbery had on the British superstar, who we forget is still a human?

Lewis hasn't been on social media all week, he chose not to go to the FIA prize-giving gala and, other than the interview that he did immediately after the race before going to the podium, he has not done any interviews. He returned to his team's headquarters to celebrate Mercedes' team championship victory on Friday. Oh, and he got knighted at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. So it's been quite a week. 

He has no obligation to talk about the pain he may feel as he processes last weekend in his own time. However, it means that we can only glean information about his state of mind from what those close to him have said. His boss, Toto Wolff, is an excellent example of this. And probably the only one too. 

In a media session following Mercedes' decision not to take the Sunday's events to court, Wolff explained that neither he nor Lewis would ever get over the pain and stress. While this may sound dramatic from the outside, it makes you think. Imagine you have dedicated your life to something. You have plenty of other things that you could be pursuing. Still, your passion for that something is so great that you reach the verge of becoming the undisputed greatest. At that moment, the world watches on, and through no fault of your own, somebody changes the rules to let someone else beat you. 

“Changes are required in F1 if it wants to keep Lewis Hamilton and the spotlight that he brings.”

I fear that F1's biggest asset and ambassador is disillusioned. You wouldn't blame Lewis for walking away. However, you wouldn't blame him for living up to the 'bad loser' image that so many Britons seem to have of him when he lost on Sunday. Changes are required in F1 if it wants to keep Lewis Hamilton and the spotlight that he brings.

2022…

So long as he is mentally healthy and enjoying himself, I hope, and I believe that Lewis Hamilton will return next year. Worryingly for his competition, he is going to be stronger too. As we saw in Brazil this year, when his back is against the wall, that is when he shines the brightest. You then have to factor in Max Verstappen, who will be his biggest challenge next season, now armed with the experience of fighting for a championship. Let's not forget that significant changes are coming in terms of the cars, hopefully bringing them closer. With such changes, you can't rule Ferrari or McLaren out. All four drivers for those teams are top operators, but, for me, Charles Leclerc is the real deal.  

So while the final chapter of 2021 may be filled with controversy, do not despair with Formula One. If we had stopped watching football after Maradona's 'hand of God' intervened, we would have missed magical moments that include Lionel Messi. Like life, sport is unfair, injustice and can stab you in the back no matter how much love you show it. But with troughs come incredible peaks - I am grateful not to have missed Hungary, USA and Brazil, this year.

I can't guarantee another winner takes all decider, like this season. However, all being well, we will see the best driver on the planet fighting it out - this time, with more than two going for the championship. You wouldn't want to miss that. 

2021 has been a season for the ages, and I already can't wait for 2022. See you then.

Listen to the AJontheLine F1 2021 Season Review - out soon.