Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone has made no secret of his desire to add an additional American race to the calendar, with F1 set to return to the United States at a new circuit in Austin, Texas in 2012. A proposal has now come forward to run a race along the banks of the Hudson River, using the waterfront and the Manhattan skyline as an iconic backdrop.
The Mayors of Weehawken and West New York, Richard Turner and Felix Roque, have revealed they are in the preliminary stages of talks with a group of investors, led by former YES TV Network executive Leo Hindery Jr., to host a grand prix in the area from as early as 2013. However such attempts have failed before, most notably in 2010 when public protests put paid to a proposed event at Liberty State Park.
"In these uncertain economic times when every direct and indirect revenue source is vital, our own Formula One race could be a very positive boost to our citizens," read a joint statement from Turner and Roque. "This said, we need to ensure that the financial benefits from the privilege of having these races in our towns are equitably shared and that no tax dollars are used. The investor group has already told us that our towns would be substantially compensated annually."
Team bosses are also keen to further tap into the U.S. market and AT&T Williams F1 chairman Adam Parr on Wednesday spoke out about the potential of increasing the sport’s already congested calendar. “I think the number of races can increase a little bit,” he said, in quotes reported by Reuters. “We might have to look at the format of the weekend but we could do a couple more races. There are ways of increasing revenues.”
