United States Grand Prix History, facts and stats

The United States Grand Prix dates back to the early 1900s, when it was known as The Grand Prize and ran on tracks in Long Island (New York) and Savannah (Georgia). America’s other big motor race, the Indianapolis 500, also traces its history back to this period. The Indy 500 was also one of the inaugural races during the first 11 years of the modern Formula 1 World Championship.

United States Grand Prix History:

The F1 circus also visited other stateside venues in the 1980s, although none of the races held were referred to as the US Grand Prix. A street circuit in Long Beach, California, hosted the United States Grand Prix West between 1975-83 (read a historic trip report here), Las Vegas joined the fray with the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in the car park of the casino of the same name (1981-1984) and a city-center street circuit hosted the Detroit Grand Prix (1982-1988). The US Grand Prix returned in 1989, this time to a street circuit in Phoenix, Arizona. After three poorly attended races, F1 disappeared from the US for almost 10 years. he United States Grand Prix returned in 2000 to a modified version of the famous Indianapolis oval, which included a series of infield corners. Although initially successful and a big draw for fans, the race was marred by controversy, including the 2005 race when only six cars took the start due to a tire dispute. After the last race in 2007, the US was once again without a Grand Prix.

In 2010, Tavo Hellmund, an Austin native and former racing driver, first announced plans to build a new purpose-built F1 circuit (designed by Hermann Tilke, of course) on the outskirts of Austin. Bernie Ecclestone threw his weight behind the project, awarding Hellmund and his investors a ten-year contract to stage the US Grand Prix from 2012. Despite some delays and contractual disputes, the circuit was completed at a cost of around $400m USD and welcomed 117,429 race-day fans for its inaugural F1 race in November 2012. The 2020 United States Grand Prix was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the event returned in 2021 with a sell-out crowd in attendance. Over 400,000 fans flocked to the circuit over the race weekend, making it one of Formula 1’s best attended events in history. With the sport’s popularity rising, the United States Grand Prix is joined by a second race in America from 2022 onwards. The inaugural Miami Grand Prix is set to take place in May. In February 2022, it was announced that Circuit of The Americas will remain as host of the United States Grand Prix until at least 2026.

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United States Grand Prix Facts:

• Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver at the United States Grand Prix, with six victories, including five out of the nine races held at Circuit of The Americas! He recently overtook Michael Schumacher in the list of most United States Grand Prix wins, who recorded five victories at Indianapolis between 2000-2006.

• In 2019, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to clinch the Drivers’ Championship in the United States twice. He previously won the 2015 title at the Circuit of The Americas.

• Ferrari is the most successful constructor at the United States Grand Prix, with 9 wins.

• Until 2021, Mercedes were the only team to have won more than once at Circuit of The Americas. Red Bull took their second victory in Texas in 2021, having last won at the track in 2013.

• No American driver has won the United States Grand Prix when it was part of the F1 World Championship, though Mario Andretti did win the 1977 US Grand Prix West in Long Beach, California.

• Sebastian Vettel made his F1 debut at the United States Grand Prix (Indianapolis) in 2007. He has recorded one victory stateside, in 2013.

• Circuit of The Americas is one of only five anti-clockwise tracks on the current F1 calendar (the others are Baku, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Brazil). It’s also one of the hilliest tracks, with a difference of 30.9 meters between the lowest and highest points.

• Kimi Raikkonen won the 2018 US Grand Prix after a 114-race win drought; the longest such drought in F1 history!

• Lewis Hamilton has the opportunity to equal Ayrton Senna’s record tally of United States Grand Prix poles in 2022. Senna set five poles at the event during his career and has held the record for most poles in the United States since 1989. 

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United States Grand Prix Stats:

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