From Sebring to Austin: F1’s changing history in the US

F1 heads to Austin this weekend as the United States hosts three races on the calendar. A BBC Sport photo retrospective revisits races in 11 American cities and towns, tracing a history that runs from Sebring’s 1959 title decider to Indianapolis’ six-car start in 2005.

The first US Grand Prix was held in Sebring in 1959. Jack Brabham ran out of fuel on the final lap and pushed his Cooper across the line; fourth place was enough to secure the first of his three drivers’ championships. Watkins Glen hosted the race from 1961 to 1980. Long Beach staged the inaugural US Grand Prix West in 1976, bringing F1 onto California’s streets.

The American calendar kept moving. Caesars Palace brought the 1981 and 1982 championship finales to a Las Vegas car park. Drivers disliked the heat and the flat, anti-clockwise circuit, which put a heavy strain on their necks. Dallas hosted one race, in July 1984. Extreme heat broke up the track, and 18 of the 26 drivers retired, 14 after hitting a wall.

Phoenix produced one of the standout contests: Ayrton Senna had to pass Jean Alesi twice to win in 1990. Poor attendance ended Phoenix’s three-race run. Indianapolis offered a dramatic reversal. F1 returned to the US after an eight-year absence in 2000, when about 225,000 fans attended. Five years later, a safety row centred on Michelin teams left only six cars to start. As 14 drivers pulled into the pit lane before the start, boos broke out, bottles were thrown onto the track and thousands headed for the exits. The fiasco effectively broke F1’s relationship with the United States; Indianapolis hosted its final US Grand Prix in 2007.

Austin has been a steadier home. The Circuit of the Americas staged its first race in 2012 and, apart from the Covid-affected 2020 season, has hosted a Grand Prix every year since. Miami joined in 2022 and Las Vegas in 2023. Austin’s contract runs until 2034.