Fifteen-year contract for New Jersey

It is the British site of Sporting Life that reveals the statements of the event’s leader, Leo Hindery Jr: « The Grand Prix of the Americas at Port Imperial has been a dream for many in this sport for more than ten years. We hoped to be ready to race in June 2013 but last fall, it was clear that we would not have the long-term infrastructure necessary to meet the requirements of Formula 1. Thanks to the patience and support of Bernie Ecclestone and the FOM, we now have a long-term agreement to race for years, starting in June 2014. »

This statement clearly shows that Bernie Ecclestone has always been a strong supporter of the event since he sees a significant commercial potential, despite the doubts he has publicly expressed. Leo Hindery Jr is quoted by the local website NJ.com regarding his relations with the great F1 supremo: Bernie was 100% right when he said that we were not meeting his demands and that we no longer had a binding agreement. He was entirely right to doubt our ability to do it. As I told Governor Christie that we would not ask for any subsidy from the state or the cities, it made things difficult and it took us more time.

If this announcement may seem like good news at first glance, it nevertheless raises a few questions. Indeed, under normal circumstances, such an announcement should be relayed by FOM’s official communication arm, namely its official website. However, we cannot find any trace of it at the time of writing. It is possible that this communication effort is just another episode in the long saga meant to bring F1 to the shores of the Hudson River.

The event also has another issue, which is the scheduling of its first race. Logically, it should be held in the week following the Montreal Grand Prix to maximize the cost-effectiveness of transporting the necessary Formula One Circus equipment across the Atlantic. This corresponds to Father’s Day weekend, which is highly celebrated in the United States. The problem is that F1 is now broadcast in the United States by NBC. However, NBC also holds the broadcasting rights for another very popular sporting event, the US Open golf tournament, which traditionally takes place on that day! NBC stated on the matter: “We have had positive discussions with Formula One and Leo Hindery’s group about a potential broadcast window that will maximize the media exposure of the race if Formula 1 adds it to the calendar.”

This is an issue that seems to affect all events in the United States, as Austin also has to contend with the competition from other sporting events. In this case, it involves both the Nascar championship final and a local university football game against rival Oklahoma. This also led the leaders of the Circuit of the Americas to request a postponement of their 2013 event date. Which went unanswered…

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr