Austin F1 Race Deemed A Success

In London, David Tremayne notes a "huge amount of effort went into creating a decent race track, which combined sections from other tracks, such as Interlagos, Silverstone, Hockenheim and Istanbul Park, and would be challenging and offer drivers the possibility to overtake." The Friday crowd "doubled the raceday crowd" when the U.S. Grand Prix was held in Phoenix from '89-91 and there were a "number of celebrities in the paddock." It was "teeming not just with famous faces from racing, but with actors, singers, entertainers, movie-makers and shakers, athletes from other sports and politicians." But "crucially, there was one area in which size was not too excessive, and that was Austin itself." The FanFest street shows "proved massively popular" and was "F1 marketing the way it should be done." Tremayne: "Was the U.S. GP a success? It was a lot more than that." London Independent