Deep in heart of Texas is heart of F1 in US

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The Circuit of the Americas was cut out of the rocky soil just outside of the state capital of Texas.

Getting there requires a drive from Austin's glowing and growing urban core past trailer parks, a landfill, flea markets and miles of rolling hills dotted with goats and horses. But once there, its landmark 250-foot (77-meter) observation tower and red-white-and-blue racing stripes announce a racetrack that has been become the heart and soul of F1 in the US.

Attempts to create street races in cities such as New York, Las Vegas and Miami have failed or stalled, but the US Grand Prix will run this week, between October 19 and 21, at its Texas home for the seventh time.

Marc Marquez of Spain rounds the bend beside the landmark 77-meter observation tower during the MotoGP Red Bull US Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Circuit of the Americas is the lifeblood of F1 in America. It also happens to be one of the finest road courses in the world," said Tavo Hellmund, the former race promoter who first developed the idea of building the first permanent track for F1 in the US. "I'm proud of that."

Hellmund, who split from his business partners before the inaugural 2012 race, drew up the design for the track on a restaurant napkin. He still keeps the napkin, with its mustard and barbecue sauce stains, and the original race contract, in a bank vault.

Bringing F1 back to the US with a specific facility in mind was pitched as the foothold needed to build an audience in America. Since its return, the US Grand Prix has enjoyed a prominent space on the calendar, with its fall race dates figuring heavily in the season championship nearly every year.

"We are not here to build a sport, but to build an event," said Bobby Epstein, president of the Circuit of the Americas.

Daniel Ricciardo (L) of Red Bull and Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes battle for position during the US F1 Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, October 22, 2017. /VCG Photo

The Circuit of the Americas has three years left on its initial 10-year contract. Epstein said he's watching how F1 negotiates new deals with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which has hosted the race since 1987, and a potential new street race in Miami in 2020.

Epstein gets strong financial support from the state of Texas. Before F1 even announced its return to the US, Texas lawmakers made F1 races in the state eligible for money from a public fund that helps pay for major events. US Grand Prix organizers will have received about 175 million US dollars by next year.

That pot of money ensures the Texas race will be on the F1 calendar for a long time, Hellmund said.

"It is a sweet deal to be the operator of the US Grand Prix," Hellmund said. "It's the most secure race on the calendar outside of Monaco."

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the Red Bull racing car on the red-white-and-blue stripes track during the US F1 Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, October 20, 2017. /VCG Photo

F1 has three races in North America in Austin, Montreal and Mexico City.

"The success of the US Grand Prix in Austin demonstrates the appetite for F1 in this country," said Sean Bratches, F1's commercial managing director. "We are determined to bring the sport to even more American fans in the coming seasons."

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo praises the track as a driver's course that promotes wheel-to-wheel racing with multiple passing zones.

"It encourages you to fight," Ricciardo said.

Source(s): AP