F1 Races in the USA: A Complete History

by Richard Janvrin, May 21, 2025

While Formula 1 may have begun in Europe, the relationship between the sport and the United States is blossoming. What started as an appearance at the Indianapolis 500 decades ago has now evolved into spectacles of sold-out F1 races in the USA, including Miami, Las Vegas, and more.

To reach this point, however, the history of F1 races in America has had its share of ups and downs.

Now, though, many Americans are familiar with the sport thanks to the Netflix series Drive to Survive and F1 betting apps.

Below, we’ll take a look at the history of F1 Grand Prix races in America.

• The Early Years: Indy 500
• Watkins Glen: America’s First True Grand Prix
• Experimentation Era
• Return to Indianapolis
• The American Rebuild
• The Netflix Boom
• F1 USA Grand Prix Conlcusion

The Early Years: Indy 500

In 1950, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) launched the F1 World Championship. That year, the Indy 500 was included on the circuit as a points-scoring round on May 30, 1950. The race was scheduled for 200 laps but stopped at 138 due to rain.

That said, this was a massive outlier.

The top five racers were Giuseppe Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio, Johnnie Parsons, Luigi Fagioli, and Alberto Ascari.

The Indy 500 remained on their F1 calendar until 1960, but it didn’t quite catch on. The FIA wanted it to be a world championship, so keeping the Indy 500 as part of the circuit helped live up to it, but again, it wasn’t a serious collaboration.

Thus, F1 races in America were in serious doubt.

Watkins Glen: America’s First True Grand Prix

After the Indy 500 was dropped from the F1 schedule, Watkins Glen International in New York was next up. This time, it felt like a more solid foothold in the United States, as this was a dedicated Grand Prix.

F1 in America was now on the schedule for the next two decades and was a legitimate attraction for both drivers and fans.

Looking back, these were the golden days of F1 races in America. Watkins Glen attracted massive crowds, especially for drivers like Dan Gurney, Peter Revson, and Mario Andretti.

In 1977, Andretti nearly won at Watkins Glen, but he finished second to James Hunt by mere seconds.

However, in 1978, Andretti won the F1 World Championship. He is the last American driver to do so.

However, as time passed, Watkins Glen, as a facility, began to face financial and safety issues.

Some issues included the high cost of modifications and upgrades required to maintain the track’s safety.

In 1980, Watkins Glen was removed from the F1 circuit, but this marked the beginning of a surge in interest in F1 in the United States.

Experimentation Era

After Watkins Glen was removed at the beginning of the 1980s, F1 started utilizing more areas of the country.

• Long Beach Grand Prix (1976–1983): While at Watkins Glen, F1 expanded into California, and it was a success, with A-list celebrities such as Paul Newman in attendance. However, in 1984, it switched to CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) due to rising F1 costs, such as race and shipping fees.
• Detroit Grand Prix (1982–1988): This race was held on the Detroit street circuit around the Renaissance Center. It was 2.493 miles and 17 corners. This track also included a railroad track crossing and a tunnel. It was considered one of the more challenging F1 race tracks in the USA.
• Caesars Palace Grand Prix (1981): A temporary street course, it was 2.268 miles long and consisted of 75 laps. It was won by Alan Jones of Australia driving Williams-Ford. This was held in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace Hotel. It was a counter-clockwise circuit with some intense heat.
• Dallas Grand Prix (1984): This took place in Fair Park near downtown Dallas. The 1985 iteration was canceled due to financial issues. There was intense heat and poor track conditions—it was one of the toughest American F1 tracks. Only eight of the 26 cars that started finished the race.
• Phoenix Grand Prix (1989–1991): This race lasted just a few years. In 1991, Bernie Ecclestone, a motorsport executive, contacted the City of Phoenix and stated that F1 wouldn’t return. Ecclestone even paid $1.2 million for cancellation. He said it was canceled because it was difficult to accommodate enough seats in one area to view more than a small portion of the race.

After 1991, F1 races in the USA ceased, and they didn’t return until 2000.

Return to Indianapolis

In 2000, F1 returned to the United States at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The United States Grand Prix took place on Sept. 24, 2000. It was 2.604 miles and 73 laps. There were 250,000-plus spectators in attendance. This was one of the largest crowds in F1 history. Germany’s Michael Schumacher won with a Ferrari.

However, there was an issue with the United States once again in 2005. This time, 14 of 20 cars slated for the race were forced to withdraw on the formation lap due to a tire safety crisis involving Michelin tires. It was determined that the tires were unsafe for the race.

This led to just six racers competing. Needless to say, fans were not pleased.

After this, attendance suffered a significant decline, and, as expected, the United States was removed from the calendar after the 2007 season.

The American Rebuild

After a five-year absence, F1 in America returned in 2012 with the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The track had challenging corners, elevation changes, and more.

Today, it hosts the United States Grand Prix yearly with hundreds of thousands of fans attending.

The Netflix Boom

After experiencing numerous ups and downs with in-person races in the United States for decades, F1 interest in the United States skyrocketed following the debut of Drive to Survive, a behind-the-scenes docuseries on Netflix.

This has driven interest so high that now we have the Miami Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Grand Prix. These aren’t only the largest F1 races in America, but some of the largest around the world.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix had over 300,000 people in attendance. The course is 3.853 miles long.

Currently, there are three Grand Prix races held in the United States annually.

America is officially a hotbed for F1 interest. F1 races in the USA are massive.

F1 USA Grand Prix Conlcusion: Uncertainty to Opportunity

The story of F1 in America featured a lot of ups and downs—and, really, more downs than ups.

From 1950, when the Indy 500 was a small part of it, to today, with over 300,000 people attending a race in Las Vegas, F1 has grown into a massive sport in the United States, and Drive to Survive played a significant role in that growth.

From here, F1 should continue to grow in the United States. Now, who knows, perhaps more Grand Prix races will be added in the future.