Flavio Briatore has recalled how he and Donald Trump tried to get a New Jersey Grand Prix off the ground, but it fell short as Formula 1 wasn\u2019t \u201cconsidered something special\u201d in America in the early 2010s.<\/p>\n
He believes Liberty Media\u2019s acquisition of the sport in 2017 changed how America perceives Formula 1.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump and Flavio Briatore discussed a New Jersey Formula 1 race<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n America said farewell to Formula 1 in 2007 as its eight-year run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway drew to a close with a victory for Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n That led Briatore to contemplate a new venue for an American race, with the Italian teaming with now-United States President Trump to pitch the idea to then-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.<\/p>\n Although New York was initially the target, Trump steered Briatore towards New Jersey, with Ecclestone then taking over the negotiations.<\/p>\n The Port Imperial circuit was expected to debut in 2013, with drivers racing around a 5.1km street circuit. The race, though, never got off the ground.<\/p>\n Speaking to Darren Cox on The Race Business\u2019s \u2018In Conversation With\u2026\u2019, Briatore recalled: \u201cSure, Donald had no idea as well about Formula 1 \u2013 but he\u2019s a great promoter.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time, he promoted boxing, he promoted everything in Vegas, etc, etc\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I made Donald talk with Bernie. I was in the office of Donald. We put in [a] video with Bernie to [find], what was the best place in New York to do the race.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Donald [told] us New York is very difficult for a million reasons, but Jersey was the place. So Bernie started negotiating Jersey with two or three different people. <\/p>\n \u201cBut we never succeeded, because Formula 1 was not\u2026 considered something special. You talk about\u2026NASCAR, you talk about Indy[Car], completely different business. And Formula 1 was not [valued] at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, Formula 1 has three Grands Prix in America.<\/p>\n The Circuit of the Americas joined the calendar in 2012, before adding Miami in 2022 and Las Vegas a year later.<\/p>\n Briatore believes Liberty Media Corporation, an American media company that acquired the commercial rights and controlling interest in Formula 1 in 2017, has changed America\u2019s perception of the sport.<\/p>\n The Formula 1 calendar<\/p>\n The remaining races on the F1 2026 calendar<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2027 calendar takes shape with Turkish GP return confirmation<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNow,\u201d said the Alpine<\/a> team principal, \u201cyou go to America, you go to Miami, 500,000 people [attend].<\/p>\n \u201cYou go to Austin, full, you go to Vegas. You see, Formula 1 is changing dramatically. You see, every race is sold out, sold out, [whether it\u2019s] raining, not raining.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, what has changed is really the commercial side. Liberty is much more open. Bernie was very strong, very restrictive in the business.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, Liberty opened the commercial side, opened completely. Marketing opened completely. And, Liberty is working with the team in [a] very good partnership, if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n