And we wonder why F1 isn't popular here

I went to the 2000 Indy F1 race at the last minute.  Drove with two friends from VA (after driving to meet them from NJ, which was just stupid) and had to say 100 miles from the track.  We met up with a bunch of friends, some expected, some random.  It was pretty fun - we spent most of the actual race wandering the infield.  One of my friends met someone on his flight whose husband had an old F1 car that was on display.  Checking that out was cool.

It was one and done for me though.  As already mentioned, watching racing in person from the stands kind of sucks.

When MotoAmerica (US pro motorcycle racing) was at NJMP, I went down for 2 of the 3 days.  One practice day, one race day.  THAT was a lot of fun.  Since hardly anyone goes, everything is open and you can wander around.  I actually watched most of the racing from a lounge with food, beer, and a big screen TV.  It was a perk - along with free entry - of being a member of their captive motorcycle track club.  Next time I'll bring gear so I can demo a few bikes too.

Almost got my 13yo daughter to come, thinking she might want to see the 15yo girl who's been killing it (she put on a master class in the wet) but...not quite.  :)

I'm so disappointed by this turn of financial American events.  I was just checking pricing for EMEA races this year, it looks like I can get general admission for $150 and decent seats for no more than $400.  Every newb I took with me to a US race in the past (before stratospheric pricing) loved it and is now a regular fan.

Looking at the price of one VIP-level ticket for one event is not really a fair way to evaluate the popularity of F1 in the US. Have you seen what Superbowl tickets go for lately? I don't see anyone questioning the popularity of the NFL. If anything, it's the opposite. The fact that they think they can get away with charging that much means that F1 actually IS popular here.

Datsun310Guy said:

Daughter tells me a bunch of girls at Miami University are F1 fans.  They watched the Netflix series and watch the races.  My kid watches the races and is somewhat interested.  

Not to derail the cost discussion, but I watched one season of DTS and I don't get why that's increased F1 popularity in the US so much.  Like 'em or hate 'em, the drivers today are dull as dishwater.  Kimi is probably the last guy that had real personality that came out, and that personality was basically "I really don't care what you think, stop bothering me."  (Which I find very endearing!)

It's not just F1 either.  Those guys that raced IMSA in the late 70s & early 80s were nuts. I wouldn't want to get on their bad side, and I'm def not suggesting the Williams team start smuggling weed, but I guarantee the IMSA guys would be miles more interesting to talk to than anyone on the grid today.  

Even NASCAR seems pretty sanitized from the little I hear of it.

yupididit said:

Keith Tanner said:

yupididit said:

Keith Tanner said:

That's just the Vegas race. It's trying to be the Monaco of the US. The Paddock Club at any F1 race is for high rollers. If you want to watch a race instead of being a VIP and get some bang for your buck, go to Texas.

If you don't think F1 is popular in the US, you haven't been paying much attention. 

I don't know enough rich folks 

You don't know enough rich folks to go to the Texas race? Last time I went, we picked up GA tickets on Craigslist and parked just outside the track for $10/day. Stayed with friends. It's a little more popular now, but I think Texas is possibly the most accessible F1 race on the calendar for people on a budget.

Don't know enough rich folks who like F1? That's okay, there's no income requirement to watch it on ESPN like most of us :)

I lived in San Antonio for 4 years (2017- Jan 2022). Every year I've tried to catch F1 at COTA and either it was sold out extremely quickly or overly expensive but mostly both. So, I'm not sure what your reference year is for it being the most accessible. Anyway, my 'knowing rich people' post was just a joke based on having to know people or have bunch of money to attend these events and enjoy it at the same time. I've never had cable either lol. 

When I lived in SATX it was the same thing and I was never able to attend.

It's a majority of re-sellers running their scripts to buy up every ticket possible when they go on sale and the same thing happened last year for the Miami race. Then we get inflated prices because these online scalpers are trying to make a living off of reselling tickets. 

I went to COTA in 2018, before the Netflix show and recent gain in popularity, and it was still insanely expensive back then. I'm glad I got to check the bucket list, but like others I agree it is a sport best watched on TV.

Tom1200 said:

It's Vegas thing; ticket prices for everything here are now insane.

You should see the prices they get for concerts.

I've watched it get more and more insane in the 45 years I've lived here.

Timely statement. I am in the ATL airport yesterday eating my breakfast burrito and watching the craziness walk the airport. There are 2 guys sitting next to me talking about "yeah, dude let's sell them, it will pay for the whole trip". Then their wives walk up and the conversation goes on. They are Adelle tickets, the guys find they are selling for over $3K each. The wives are like nope, I am going to Vegas to see Adele. They tell the husbands, sell your tickets, we are going. So tickets are crazy in Vegas, yep...

I thought you could go see Elvis and get a steak for $8 in 1973? I want to go back to that.

Okay, I'll state the obvious--I'm not spending anything on anything associated with Fernando Alonso's face...  

maschinenbau said:

I went to COTA in 2018, before the Netflix show and recent gain in popularity, and it was still insanely expensive back then. I'm glad I got to check the bucket list, but like others I agree it is a sport best watched on TV.

I went to COTA in 2016 and everything was 3X what I ever spent at Indy... and I was at all 8 of those.

I have never been an F1 fan.  Never watched it, never been to one.  That's about to change...I am volunteering to work for the race in Miami.  Should be an adventure.

stroker said:

Okay, I'll state the obvious--I'm not spending anything on anything associated with Fernando Alonso's face...  

That's OK. He loves you anyhow.

ddavidv said:

F1 races in the US? 

There are more F1 races in the US this year than any other country. So, yes.

I'll admit it's been a few years since I went to COTA. Last time was probably 2015. At that time, it was less expensive to go to the F1 race than it was to get seats for a Giants home game in the very top row. We definitely played the local card, my friend Dan came up with some killer deals. My biggest complaint the first year was the lack of support races, just a 911 "spec Miata" race. The second year, there was massive rain and the organizers handled it poorly - a historic race that did one contractually required lap under yellow, and waffling on "the track is closed, everyone go home" to "oh, let's do quali for the fun of it while everyone's gone". But I certainly don't regret going.

A friend went to Spa and spent something like $14k for him and his wife without any VIP handling, so even at the quoted ticket prices for COTA today it's a much better deal.

Any race is harder to actually follow in person than on TV. That's just the nature of watching a live race other than drag racing or maybe a small oval sprint. You go for the experience, for the ability to see behind the scenes. I have no idea who won at Sebring the year I was there, but I remember hanging out behind the Flying Lizard pits and chatting to one of the mechanics. When I went to COTA, I got to put the speed of F1 cars into perspective and see them from a number of different angles due to having different tickets every day. I got a little insider tour of the Mercedes garage as well but that's harder to buy :)

In reply to NY Nick :

Elvis and an $8 steak?

I was in Las Vegas last week for work and I mentioned to a coworker my mom loved to go to Vegas in the 70's and get the $.99 shrimp cocktail.  

Coworked cringed - $.99 for shrimp?  Gross.  Must be garbage. 

I don't think he fully understood how big of a deal that was back then. 

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

Also, a $.99 shrimp cocktail in 1975 is a $6.39 cocktail today.

In reply to Andy Hollis :

Don't know about Montreal being any better,one way in and out of an island sucks.

 I was going to go last yr with a friend thats been a couple times and from Quebec,decided I didn't want to deal with "Quebec" :)

 He arrived at his downtown air bnb(arranged a yr in advance) to find out the douchbag rented it to the highest bidder,NOTHING available for that weekend on short notice.

 Hard to commute back and forth from his sisters place in Mont Tremblant.

 He said the actual race is worth it,the crap to deal with Montreal traffic is not.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I wasn't ragging on you, but even parking is really expensive now. That was my first indication that it "might've been a while"

I heard that last year people were waiting to get out of their lots for 4 hours???

Datsun310Guy said:

In reply to NY Nick :

Elvis and an $8 steak?

I was in Las Vegas last week for work and I mentioned to a coworker my mom loved to go to Vegas in the 70's and get the $.99 shrimp cocktail.  

Coworked cringed - $.99 for shrimp?  Gross.  Must be garbage. 

I don't think he fully understood how big of a deal that was back then. 

It's 400 miles from the nearest ocean and 1900 miles from where 75% of the shrimp in the US are caught, of course the shrimp are gross. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Not sure what's going on here ......

accordionfolder said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I wasn't ragging on you, but even parking is really expensive now. That was my first indication that it "might've been a while"

I heard that last year people were waiting to get out of their lots for 4 hours???

We parked at a local farm and hoofed it in. Basically, we were on the far side of one of the paid lots. Farmer was a member of the local autox group so we had an in. I think it was $15.

Datsun310Guy said:

I feel that needs a lot more vodka and bloody mary mix. 

Keith Tanner said:

accordionfolder said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I wasn't ragging on you, but even parking is really expensive now. That was my first indication that it "might've been a while"

I heard that last year people were waiting to get out of their lots for 4 hours???

We parked at a local farm and hoofed it in. Basically, we were on the far side of one of the paid lots. Farmer was a member of the local autox group so we had an in. I think it was $15.

After reading some random horror stories in the parking reviews - I feel like I'd just park somewhere somewhat close and bicycle in - channel my inner Seb, lol.

NorseDave said:

It's not just F1 either.  Those guys that raced IMSA in the late 70s & early 80s were nuts. I wouldn't want to get on their bad side, and I'm def not suggesting the Williams team start smuggling weed, but I guarantee the IMSA guys would be miles more interesting to talk to than anyone on the grid today.  

They are still looking for John Paul, Sr. who is probably still living the pirate's life on a boat somewhere in the Caribbean.

Back in 1984 or -5, I went to the Riverside CA IMSA race on a Friday. Can't remember what it cost to get in, but it wasn't much, maybe $20? Being the practice day, the pits were open and I was free to walk around. Saw an older driver sitting there on the end of a table, legs kicking back and forth like a kid... Paul Newman... with no one bugging him. I let him be... a different time.