Mario Andretti in Darlington Media Center

F1: Mario Andretti thinks 4 F1 races in the USA may be too many

Former Formula One World Driving Champion driver Mario Andretti thinks America should stick with three F1 races for now.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Yes, America is a massive country and can easily support a 4th Formula 1 race, but Mario Andretti feels it is best to first see how the three races do.

2023 Long Beach. Mario Andretti: Reunited with Jacky Ickx tonight in Long Beach. Teammates for 11 GP races for Ferrari and 9 long distance races.  The most amazing teammate a guy could want. If I had to pick a guy I'd most like on my team right here right now and if it can't be my son Michael, I'd pick Jacky.
2023 Long Beach. Mario Andretti: Reunited with Jacky Ickx tonight in Long Beach. Teammates for 11 GP races for Ferrari and 9 long-distance races. The most amazing teammate a guy could want. If I had to pick a guy I’d most like on my team right here, right now and if it can’t be my son Michael, I’d pick Jacky.

America is larger than all of Europe, and Europe has more than three F1 races a year.

During an interview with RacingNews365.com, Andretti has urged Formula One Management to not “overdo it”. He explained:

“I mean you can overdo it to some degree.

“As Formula 1, there is no other country on the planet that has three events, so let’s be happy with that and make the most of that.

“Don’t try to outdo yourself.”

Andretti went on to comment on the upcoming Las Vegas race, stating that there is “a lot to be rejoiced about as an F1 fan” in America. He said:

“I think the most positive part about that is it is an enormous financial commitment there having seized property downtown that will remain permanent for the years to come.

“It looks like the future is solid for that and that is very important because many of these street events come and go.

“But what they have in place in Las Vegas is not just for the weekend – this is solid.

“There is a lot to be rejoiced about as an F1 fan here.”