Whilst Formula 1 is doing just fine without a race in America, David Coulthard believes a race in the country is vital if the sport is to call itself a World Championship.
As of 2012, Formula 1 will return to the USA at the purpose built facility in Austin, dubbed Circuit of the Americas, having last visited in 2007 when Lewis Hamilton won the Indianapolis GP.
The organisers, Full Throttle Productions, struck a 10-year deal with Bernie Ecclestone to secure the future of the sport in Texas.
When asked if a race in America was vital, Coulthard replied: “It does in order to call itself a true world championship. To genuinely have a world championship, it should be represented by as many countries as possible,” he told Road and Track.
“I was very excited when it came back to Indianapolis and we had a great turnout, but then we shot ourselves in the foot with that tire fiasco. To be honest, it had nothing to do with Indianapolis and the tires, it was all politics. I remember I was on the radio saying “I’ll start the race, I’ll start the race.”
The former-Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver, highlighted the need for a fast, thrilling track layout if the event is to be successful in a country dominated by NASCAR and IndyCar.
“He’s [Hermann Tilke – track architect] a touring car racer himself, he’s raced at the Nürburgring, so you’d think someone like Hermann who’s been around one of the most scariest challenging race tracks in the world come up with something a little more exciting.
“You need overtaking and fast corners. The fast corners give the drivers a ride of their lives, and if the drivers speak positively about it, then the fans will be positive about it and want to check it out.
Discussion about this post