Q: Even though we met however many years ago at a Red Bull Global Rallycross event, Michael Andretti has no idea who I am, nor should he care what I think. But, if he were to ask, I’d hate to see him be all John Cusack in “16 Candles” with FOM. I’d tell him to take that money and make a kick-ass, six-car IndyCar team, a NASCAR team and MotoGP-shoutout Trackhouse, get you an open wheel outfit, too. Then have enough left over to buy all his employees a big-ass ham for Christmas.
Shawn, MD
MP: We’re on the same page here, Shawn. Michael and Towriss have asked F1 to marry them many times and in many different ways, and keep getting rejected. F1’s a BIG moneymaker at the moment, so it makes total sense for them to try this hard to get in, but continuing to ask for F1’s hand in marriage would be sad to watch.
Q: I can’t for the life of me understand why IndyCar wants the potential last race of the year in Argentina to be non-points. Yes, it’s out of the U.S. market for pretty much all the sponsors, but I honestly think the eyeballs on the race might be greater if the race was in Argentina.
IndyCar’s ratings fall off every year around the last couple of races because it overlaps with the start of the NFL season. With NFL games starting at 1pm, it would be impossible for the series to run a final race stateside that doesn’t conflict with a bunch of football games.
Argentina is two hours ahead of Eastern Time — you could start a championship race at 10 or 11am EST (it would already be early afternoon in Argentina) and finish in time to not have to compete with the NFL.
I genuinely believe that part of F1’s growth in the U.S. is that the races are on first thing in the morning on a Sunday. There are no other sports on, and most people haven’t started their planned activities for the day yet.
I’m sure die-hard fans watch the last race now, but the casual fan is probably more inclined to skip out on the race because they have middle-of-the-day plans (likely watching football). The sport needs new eyeballs, and nobody who isn’t already a fan is going out of their way to watch IndyCar while the most popular live TV programming in America is on.
Have the finale in Argentina, market the heck out of it so people know it’s happening, and start it before football. Viewership would increase.
Jacob
MP: Depending on where you live in the U.S., like the East Coast, yes, F1 races are on first thing in the morning. If you’re on the West Coast, those races often start at ungodly hours, so it’s not a convenient-starting-time thing. It’s a F1-is-just-super-popular thing.
If you consider how F1 and NASCAR, which are much bigger than IndyCar and can survive going head-to-head with football without suffering damage to their TV ratings, are also racing into October and November, and IMSA goes to the middle of October with its Petit Le Mans finale, I’m not sure there are a lot of weekends that jump out as super free and uncluttered for IndyCar to make a big impression.
It’s not just the specter of going up against the NFL; it’s all the other big-time racing series, which are in the home stretch of their championships, that I’d expect to command a lot more attention than a non-points, counts-for-nothing exhibition race being held anywhere on the planet. (OK, IndyCar at Bathurst would be epic).
But overall, sure, you could run the race early and hope to catch some viewers, but if we’re talking about something that really makes a large TV impression, I’m struggling to see how Argentina or wherever else the post-season non-points race might be located, would be a ratings winner. I’d love for it to happen, but don’t know how it would.
Q: F1 is now hosting five races in North America, and if that one in Chicago goes ahead it’ll be six. Do you think this is enough for it to plan its F2 NA series? Something not aimed at rookies like F2; more like an IndyCar competitor. They’d have way more exposure with those five or six weekends than IndyCar gets with the 500.
If that were to happen, how many teams you think would switch from IndyCar to that F1-managed series?
Also, is it possible for a manufacturer like McLaren to buy engines from Chevy and make a McLaren-Chevy GTP, as it happens with their F1 and IndyCar program, or do IMSA/WEC rules require them to make a deal with a manufacturer that is not in the grid yet?
William Mazeo
MP: At the insane prices F1 charges, I can’t see how North American fans could support all five at the same high level without a COTA or Miami or Las Vegas suffering (Canada and Mexico will be fine), so adding Chicago would certainly dilute one or more of the other venues. If that happens, would F1 and its teams have to pay the negatively affected circuit an anti-dilution fee? (Sorry, too soon?)
CHRIS MEDLAND: I’m not sure about this one, William, because if it’s not the headline race on a schedule it doesn’t get anywhere near the amount of exposure that the main grand prix gets.
I do think it would be cool to have a North American F2 championship — but run to FIA F2 rules with the same car — that would allow strong Super License points and provide opportunities to more drivers from this region. Not that I see a Chicago race being added anytime soon, but even with the three U.S. races and Montreal and Mexico, there’s scope for 10 races if you follow F2’s current format.
Aside from the cost though, the biggest hurdle might be getting Las Vegas to allow support races, as those would mean shutting the streets down for even longer than they already do.