Formula 1, the premier global motorsport, is making significant strides in gaining popularity and relevance in the United States, thanks to the efforts of Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of the sport. The US now hosts three F1 races and has a team flying its flag on the grid, with a second one, Cadillac, in the pipeline. The motorsport’s presence in the American mainstream has also been bolstered by its exposure through Netflix.
However, despite these advances, the elusive goal remains to have a consistent presence of American drivers in Formula 1. Logan Sargeant is the most recent American to have raced an entire season in the sport, but he was dismissed halfway through the previous year. Prior to him, Alexander Rossi had a brief stint of five races at the tail end of 2015. The most significant American presence in recent history was Scott Speed, who raced for Red Bull’s Toro Rosso team for a season and a half in 2006 and 2007.
Reflecting on the growing F1 interest in the US, Scott Speed told RACER, “I love that so many more people here know what it is. When I did it, it was so unknown. When I came back to America, after racing F1, to NASCAR, no one really knew.” Speed, who has competed at the pinnacle in both F1 and NASCAR, now runs a performance consultancy business with fellow Red Bull NASCAR alum Josh Wise, helping to groom the next generation of professional racers.
Speed opines that for a young American driver aiming to make a career in motor racing, the most viable option is to go stock car racing in America, a route that does not necessitate millions of dollars in investment. He cites the example of promising talents like Connor Zilisch, who despite their potential, are more inclined towards NASCAR due to its pull in the USA.
However, Speed holds firm that if an American youngster is determined enough to make it to F1, they can. Recounting his own journey to the top, he said, “I made it there with literally zero U.S. dollars put into my racing career,” adding that while F1 entry barriers are high in the US, it’s not impossible to overcome them.
Speculation is rife about the possibility of the upcoming Cadillac team employing an American driver, with IndyCar driver Colton Herta being a prime candidate. Speed expressed interest in seeing a robust talent pipeline develop in the long term and hoped to be a part of it.
Speed believes that initiatives similar to the Red Bull driver search program from the 2000s, which helped him cross the Atlantic, could bolster American representation in European open-wheel racing and F1. The emergence of platforms like social media and Netflix’s “Drive To Survive” docuseries have undeniably elevated F1’s reach, a development Speed admits he’s glad he didn’t have to navigate due to his preference for privacy.
The entry of the Cadillac team also opens doors for American talents in other roles within F1. The team’s operation will be significantly based in the US, distancing it from the conventional F1 talent pool located in the UK’s “Motorsport Valley.”
Speed, who alongside Wise operates from the GM Charlotte Technical Center, has had an early glimpse into Cadillac’s development process. He expressed excitement about the team’s progress and the opportunities it presents, given F1’s revitalized business model.
Following his F1 stint, Speed tested his mettle in NASCAR, rallycross, and Formula E, collecting accolades along the way. Reflecting on his journey, he said, “The ability to experience different racing cultures… is something I love.” He recently returned to the F1 cockpit at Red Bull’s Showrun in Brazil, his first time in a grand prix car since the 2007 European Grand Prix.
Despite his diverse racing career, Speed regards his ascend to F1 as his proudest achievement. He expressed satisfaction that his compatriots are beginning to appreciate the magnitude of Formula 1. “That always, for me, will be the peak of my motor racing career by a landslide, so it is cool that people here in my country are starting to grasp what that meant, how cool and how big Formula 1 is,” he said.
