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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes it is only a matter of time before an American driver becomes the F1 world champion.
The Briton cited the sport's rapidly growing popularity in the US as the main justification for his statement ahead of the immensely successful 2022 F1 Miami GP.
F1 went to Miami for the first time. The Miami GP was one of two events to take place in America - the other being the upcoming US GP.
The sport already has plans to expand in the US, with the Las Vegas GP set to take place in 2023. Given the sport's rising popularity in the country and the possible addition of Mario Andretti's 2024 racing outfit, Horner is confident there will soon be an American world champion. The last American to win an F1 title was Andretti himself all the way back in 1978.
The Red Bull boss explained after the Miami GP:
"The drivers are the stars. Yes, it would be lovely to have the Andretti name in Formula 1. But an Andretti driver - if Mario made a comeback - would be way more powerful.There will be an American World Champion in the future, for sure. It's just a question of when."
Speaking about the sport's successful visit to Miami, the 48-year-old said:
"It's been great, the reception that we've had here, the passion that has been here. The interest in Formula 1 is sky high, you can see that from the reception that we got. Americans certainly know how to host an event, and they've done a great job with that. I think it was a good enough race to get everybody excited."
Red Bull's Max Verstappen pipped Charles Leclerc to win the 2022 F1 Miami GP
Max Verstappen pipped Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to win the 2022 F1 Miami GP. He took the lead in the race in the opening stages, capitalizing on a poor start from Sainz.
Verstappen started in P3 after losing out to both Ferraris in the qualifying session on Saturday. The Dutchman, however, managed to overtake Sainz heading into turn 1, showcasing his confident braking abilities.
Leclerc led the race in the opening stages but was soon passed by Verstappen, whose Red Bull was immensely fast in a straight line.
The 24-year-old is now only 19 points behind Leclerc in the drivers' standings despite having DNF'd in two races.
Speaking about his epic race at Parc Ferme, the world champion said:
“It was an incredible GP, very physical as well but we kept it exciting till the end. I am incredibly happy with winning here in Miami, it was an incredible Sunday for us.”
Verstappen has now won both of F1's recent visits to the US, giving him confidence for the upcoming US GP later in the year.
However, as it stands, the Red Bull driver still has some work to do before he catches up to Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in the championship.
