Overview
- This week Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore told The Race that he and President Donald Trump instigated an early‑2010s push to bring Formula 1 to Port Imperial, New Jersey.
- Briatore says he introduced Trump to then‑F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone and that Trump advised shifting the plan from Manhattan to New Jersey because New York was too difficult.
- The proposal evolved into the Grand Prix of America, which was provisionally listed for 2013, featured publicity runs with Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard, and was repeatedly delayed before being abandoned.
- Briatore attributes the bid’s failure to Formula 1’s limited commercial standing in the U.S. at the time, which made it hard to secure local and sponsor support compared with NASCAR and IndyCar.
- He contrasts that era with the post‑2017 Liberty Media approach that helped build major U.S. events in Austin, Miami and Las Vegas and supported new American involvement in the sport.