Formula 1 | Besides Netflix, Hamilton ‘doesn’t know’ what makes F1 so popular in the US
Lewis Hamilton regularly spends time in the United States and he is therefore very happy that Formula 1 is doing better and better there, as proved by the record attendance this weekend in Austin where the Briton has moreover played the victory.
It is no longer a secret that the series ‘Drive to Survive’, produced by Netflix, has largely contributed to the resurgence of popularity of the discipline throughout the world and especially on the other side of the Atlantic. The Mercedes F1 driver is also struggling to define the other elements that have allowed the boom of F1 in the United States.
« It’s hard for me to answer that question. Other than Netflix, I don’t know what has made people have a deeper look, because it’s very hard to understand what’s going on if you start follow by only watching the races on television. If it’s the first time, it’s difficult to understand everything that happens within the teams. »
« And after seeing a few episodes of the show, people were able to have more open access to the discipline and started to be interested in all the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes, with all this technology and all this data, all this development which also serves for production cars. »
« Then there is the fact that we are 20 riders and we take risks every weekend. Unlike other disciplines where there are many athletes, we are only a small group of 20 people flying these rockets on wheels, I imagine we’re the closest thing to NASA. »
Las Vegas circuit won’t be as good as Austin
The seven-time world champion is now looking forward to competing in the Las Vegas Grand Prix next year, but more for the event than for the quality of the future circuit in town.
« I don’t know exactly how they’re going to set things up in Vegas yet, but I have no doubt they’ll do a great job. It’s going to be something amazing. It’s going to be without no doubt one of the greatest races, if not the greatest. »
« I can already say that the track itself won’t be as good as Austin. The street circuits aren’t as good as the open circuits, especially the newer ones, and the COTA is fantastic. But the atmosphere and the city will probably be incomparable. And the fact that it is night will make the event huge. »
