Bernie Ecclestone believes Formula 1 will never be big in the United States, despite it’s worldwide following outside of the country.
In an interview with David Frost on Aljazeera English, Ecclestone was asked whether or not he believed F1 would be popular in the US ten years from now, the 81-year-old simply replied: “No.”
The country will rejoin the calendar next season with a new race in Austin, Texas, before a second race in New Jersey joins the following year. Despite this, Ecclestone doesn’t believe two races is enough to get Americans interested enough.
“We’ve got a maximum of two races in America and when you consider the country is as big as Europe and we’ve got several races in Europe, it’s difficult [for the US].
“If we had a lot more races there and a lot more television it would be okay. It’s a bit like the rest of America in that they want to see a profit before they start something and it’s not easy to do that.
“Formula One will not be big in America,” he added.