USGP Open To ‘Tex-Mex Two Step’ Ticket Package With Mexico GP

Will Mexico suffer from a sophomore slump?

The F1 racetrack in Austin, Texas, is open to the idea of a collaboration with its southern counterpart in Mexico City, Circuit of the Americas Chair Bobby Epstein said. "In a couple of years it would make sense for us to work with Mexico and give people the ultimate 'Tex-Mex two step,' where you spend the whole week and get the ultimate F1 experience," he told SBD Global.

COTA, which made its debut on the F1 calendar in '12, got company last year, when Mexico City returned to the series after a 23-year absence. The Mexican Grand Prix was set to have a negative effect on the U.S. race as a large number of Mexican fans made the trip across the border to watch F1 in the Texas state capital over the first three years, from '12-14.

COTA acknowledged that Mexico's return affected ticket sales, but it was an unprecedented amount of rainfall that ultimately doomed the 2015 U.S. Grand Prix. While last year's event in Austin suffered an economic disaster due to the weather circumstances and a cut in state funding, Mexico City celebrated a triumphant return, with a three-day attendance of more than 330,000 people.

The success of the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix, which also received praise from F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, is the one of the reasons why the two F1 promoters have not yet collaborated on ticket or promotional activities, Epstein said.

"At this point they frankly don't need us. They are doing very well. They are off to a great start. Usually the first year races are very strong, a lot of people go from a curiosity standpoint, to knock it off their bucket list and the excitement."

COTA is expected to bounce back from last year, with organizers anticipating the second-largest crowd in the venue's history this weekend. Mexico City, on the other hand, is unlikely to duplicate last year's figures and is expected to suffer an American symptom, the sophomore slump. HJ Mai/SBD Global