“I love it in the States”: When Lewis Hamilton commented on F1’s plans for capturing the USA

Formula 1 is a sport with an ever-growing reach, and Lewis Hamilton once opened up about the racing series taking over the United States. The open-wheel racing, which has, over the years, developed into one of the world’s most followed sporting spectacles, experienced a brief hiatus in the USA.

Precisely in the lead-up to the 2012 season, with the series on a five-year hiatus from the United States, the then McLaren driver touched on the sport’s organising body's plan to return to the USA. The British driver who spoke in an interview in 2012 with GQ magazine stressed how the series could reignite the love of fans by basically just getting the cars out on track in front of them.

"It's really a matter of getting the car in front of people. Once you hear it and see it, feel the noise—then maybe they'll turn out for a race. I don't quite know how F1 will play in Oklahoma and places like that, but every time I'm in California, I swear more people recognize me—genuine fans.”

"I love it in the States. The roads are big, the food is big. If it was possible to be in L.A. and still live my racing life, I would move now,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.

The return of Formula 1 to the United States, which was at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), came after years of the series racing in Indianapolis. The race at the Brickyard circuit will, however, remain famously remembered for its outing in 2005, where only six cars controversially participated in the event, due to tire safety issues.

Since F1’s return to the United States, it has largely continued to expand its reach within the country, and it is currently scheduled to host three races, Miami GP, Las Vegas GP, and the United States GP, on the 2025 calendar.

Lewis Hamilton speaks about racing in the USA

Lewis Hamilton also expressed delight about Formula 1 ‘cracking’ the United States market. The Scuderia Ferrari driver was quizzed about the sport’s impact in the lead-up to the maiden Miami Grand Prix event in 2022.

The seven-time world champion, who has largely developed into one of F1's most famous faces, did not hesitate to stress how pleased he was with the new race on the Miami streets. Sharing his thoughts via the Formula official website, Lewis Hamilton stated:

“Yes, I mean, growing up knowing how amazing the sport is and seeing that there was still quite a disconnect between the US and the rest of the world in terms of the passion for this sport, it's really amazing to see that we've cracked it and there's a growing love in the States.”

“There are massive sporting fans out there. And I mean, Miami is going to be an experience for all of us, for the racing community, for those that are the fans out there that are watching, the fans that are going to be flying in that maybe have never been there before. The US has a lot to offer in that space. So, it's super exciting,” he concluded.

While Lewis Hamilton indeed was delighted with the fan fare that had heralded F1’s expansion into the United States, the debut race on the Florida streets did not play out as he would envisaged, as he would only muster up a sixth place finish, failing to make up any progress up the grid from the same position which he had qualified in.