Bernie Ecclestone through his personal site, announced that the venue that will have the honor to host the US Grand Prix from 2012 to 2021 is Austin in Texas. Many were the contenders that attempted to lure Ecclestone to sign the golden F1 contract, among them was the Indianapolis MotorSpeedway, the Liberty State Park and the Monticello Motor Club. However, Bernie Ecclestone made the greatest surprise after not choosing a venue near to New York City as it was in his initial plans but the city of Austin, in the far far west of the New World. The incoming event will be the first F1 event held in the state of Texas since the one-off race at Dallas back in 1984.
Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of the Formula One Group stated: "For the first time in the history of Formula One in the United States, a world-class facility will be purpose-built to host the event. It was thirty years ago that the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ was last held on a purpose-built permanent road course circuit in Watkins Glen, NY (1961-1980), which enjoyed great success. Since then, Formula One has been hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix all on temporary street circuits. Indianapolis joined the ranks of host cities in 2000 when they added a road course inside the famed oval. Lewis Hamilton won the last Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ in 2007, signalling the end to eight years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This however, will be the first time a facility is constructed from the ground up specifically for Formula One in the US."
The Austin event will be promoted by Full Throttle Productions, a company with an involvement in NASCAR. and the agreement involves the construction of a new facility that will be built for the race in what is the USA’s 15th-largest city.
The company’s managing partner, Tavo Hellmund, said in the statement:
"We are extremely honored and proud to reach an agreement with the F1 Commercial Rights holder. We have been diligently working together for several years to bring this great event to Austin, the State of Texas, and back to the United States. All parties involved have a great amount of trust and confidence in each other and are committed to establishing the F1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas as a prestigious global event.
This is a case of the right timing in the right place. As many Americans know, Austin has earned a reputation as one of the ‘it’ cities in the United States. Austin features that rare combination of ideal geographic location and beauty. Its fine dining, world-renowned hospitality and excellent transportation infrastructure make Austin ideally suited to host and manage an event of this magnitude.
Few cities if any on America could rival the connectivity of all the key elements needed for hosting an F1 event as well as Austin. Now, many people around the world will have the opportunity to experience a world-class event, facility and city."
The american State of Texas has been considered to have the 11th strongest economy in the world, and it has a significant number of Fortune 500 company headquarters.Key features of Austin include:
The American State capital nicknamed ‘Silicon Hills’ for being one of the most important regions in the US for the Technology Industry;
- USA’s 15th largest city and is located 145 miles from Houston (4th largest US city), 70 miles from San Antonio (7th largest US city), and 180 miles from Dallas (8th largest US city), population in this triangle is over 22 million;
- perfectly located geographically for North, South and Central American visitors;
- over 130 daily departing international flights within 180 miles;
- over 250,000 hotel rooms within 180 miles;
- desirable year-round climate, with an average annual temperature of 68oF (20oC);
- geographically located in the Texas Hill Country, easily the most beautiful city in the State, and considered one of the most in the US;
- hotels/downtown/Formula 1 circuit/airport located within close proximity of each other, which is nearly impossible for any other large city in the US;
- world class night life entertainment along renowned ‘Sixth Street’; and
- large film industry presence - many movies filmed in the area.
Austin’s National Recognition
- Known as “The Live Music Capital of the World”
- Voted “Greenest City in America” (MSN)
- Voted “Least Stressful Large Metro” in the United States (Forbes)
- Voted Top Two “Best Cities” in the United States (Money Magazine)
- Voted Top Three “Hippest Cities” in the United States (Forbes)
- Voted Top Five “Safest Cities” in the United States (Forbes)
- Voted Top Ten “Sports & Fitness Cities” in the USA (Sports Business Journal)
