F1 News
F1 want Americans on the grid, super license points system in question
It is not really a problem, but it is something Formula 1 would like to see change: there are no Americans on the grid. America is a big market and also has two Grands Prix on the calendar from 2022.
Popularity in the United States is growing
Formula 1 is growing in popularity in the United States. Netflix series Drive to Survive, Haas F1, as well as the popularity of Circuit of the Americas and the new Miami Grand Prix are helping that a lot. One important thing is still missing though, as there is no American driver to be seen on the grid. F1 would like to see this change.
This is partly due to the fact that many Americans choose to race in the IndyCar Series. When an IndyCar driver wants to switch to F1, he or she first needs to score 40 points for a super license. Only the champion of the IndyCar Series gets 40 points, while in Formula 2 for example the entire top three score enough points.
The task for the FIA
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali would also like to see an American on the grid, but there is little he can change about the points system for a super license, that is the job of the FIA. "I would say that the definition of the points for the super license is responsibility of F1," he explains at SoyMotor.com.
"I think every year there is this conversation, which has to do with the fact that every year, depending on the technical challenge of the championship, there is a complex key to follow. And I think that's something that the FIA Single Seaters Commission has to deal with," Domenicali concluded.