McLaren CEO Zak Brown Explains Why Formula 1 Took Decades To Get Popular In America

It's no secret that Formula 1 is a hot commodity right now, with the series as popular in the US as it has ever been, and the recently released film F1 is raking in hundreds of millions at the box office.

But why did it take so long for a sport that started in 1950 to finally break through stateside? Well, US-born McLaren CEO Zak Brown has three reasons why.

Brown explained that the acquisition of Formula 1 by Liberty Media and the Drive To Survive Netflix series both helped grow the audience among women, younger viewers, and in North America, where the series had long struggled to compete with the likes of NASCAR and IndyCar.

"Kind of three primary reasons why we hadn’t been popular in North America," Brown said during an appearance on the How Leaders Lead With David Novak, per Motorsport. "One, we never really found a permanent location, dating back to the '70s. You were Long Beach, then you were Watkins Glen, then you were Dallas, then you were a parking lot in Vegas for two years, then you were Phoenix."

"Then you took five, six, seven, eight years off; there was no Formula 1 in North America," the McLaren boss said. Then we came back to Indianapolis. Then we had this 'Tiregate' as we called it, so we didn’t put on a good show. Then we disappeared again."

McLaren CEO Zak Brown broke down a few reasons why Formula 1 had historically struggled to become popular in North America until recently. (Getty images)

The "Tiregate" Brown is referring to was the infamous 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unlike today, where all teams use tires produced by Pirelli, in 2005, teams could choose one of two tire manufacturers to use: Michelin and Bridgestone. That weekend, the high-speed drivers were hitting around Turn 13 (which was Turn 1 in the standard oval layout but ran in the other direction), which was caused by two Michelin tire failures leading up to the race. 

With teams, the FIA, and Michelin unable to reach a compromise, the seven teams that used Michelin tires did the formation, then pulled into the pits and retired from the race, leaving the three teams using Bridgestones — Ferrari, Minardi, and Jordan — on the grid.

So, no, fans weren't happy about only getting a six-car race, and it was a big black eye for the sport. That, coupled with a lack of a permanent venue and the years without races on US soil, sure would make it hard to become popular.

"You’re not going to have any sport be popular in North America if you’re not there or you have no date or location equity," Brown said.

The series now races in the US three times each season with stops in Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas.