America’s Problem with F1’s Elitism

While many may claim that F1 translated well into the US from Europe because of the two market’s common interest in racing cars, I claim that F1 has not been successful in the US because of the unpopular perception of elitism in F1, which stems from a variety of factors including the lack of underdog success in F1, the importance of money and funding in the sport, and extremely expensive tickets for the fans. On the surface, it may seem like the sole reason for F1’s lack of popularity in America is the lack of American drivers and teams in F1, which means that Americans have trouble aligning themselves with this sport. In fact, the last time there was an American driver who raced a full season in F1 was in 2013 when Alexander Rossi raced with the Renault F1 team. However, this stems from a deeper reason, as elitism, money, and power in F1 play a huge role in driver selection. For example in 2020, Haas F1 team manager Gunther Steiner said “If somebody is good and has a financial backer, he’s got a better chance than somebody who is the same good and has no financial backer. I mean, why would you choose that one with no financial backing?” He later used this elitist way of thinking when choosing his drivers for the 2021 season, as he chose Nikita Mazepin, the son of billionaire oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, over a host of better drivers, including the extremely talented American Colton Herta. In fact, scenarios like this are very common in F1, as “pay to drive” drivers with extremely rich backers would make their way to the grid even though they may not be as talented as other drivers who were snubbed of this opportunity. This shows how elitism has stained F1, as money and power is extremely influential in F1. This type of elitism sways Americans away from F1 because especially in recent years, Americans are turning against and sick of elitists. Historically speaking, American culture tends to reject elitism and support whatever pleases the “average Joe”, like populism. This is because elitists in America are seen as abusers of the average Joe and take advantage of hardworking citizens just for money.