Formula One has largely been European-centric, just like how NASCAR has been US-centric. F1 only just broke onto American soil in 1959 at Sebring, even though the Indianapolis 500 had been on the F1 schedule since 1950. Currently, F1 comprises 24 races on its calendar, six of which are held in the Americas. But the country will have to wait further for its expansion dreams as the motorsport is planning a new growth strategy — one that eyes long-term contracts with its cities.

Why U.S. has to wait for further F1 expansion

Today, with the way the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix culminated, F1’s popularity is on a roll. The 2025 movie on the sport also played a big role in this. Today, F1 races aren’t just races anymore — they are a global cultural celebration, combined with entertainment and uniting the racing fandom all over the world.

The economic impact that these races are creating in their current 24 cities is huge. The Las Vegas Grand Prix generated $934 million in 2024, while this year’s Brazil race brought $425 million to the city of São Paulo.

“These are mega projects. They require major investment but, on the flip side, they are generating phenomenal economic return,” said Louise Young, director of race promotion.

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This is why it makes more sense for F1 to grow on this partnership that it has with these 24 cities.

“For now, we think 24 is the right number of events for us, for the teams, for the quality of our product. We don’t see growth in the promoter business coming necessarily out of more events. We see growth around optimization and changes to the calendar,” said Young.

But this doesn’t mean they’re looking for an expansion. They are, but in Asia and Africa. As for the U.S., though the country’s on their vision board, currently, they have no plans to add races there.

Currently, there are  F1 races held in the United States: the Miami Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix (in Austin, Texas), and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The 2026 Formula One season promises to be big

2025 marked the final year with the current set of F1 regulations, and McLaren star Lando Norris emerged as the champion. Everything starts with a revised power unit configuration and new active aerodynamics.

Breaking this down further, the MGU-H will be absent, while the MGU-K will be bumped up from 160 bhp to 470 bhp. The Internal Combustion Unit will have a lower output, but everything is in the name of sustainability.

The Drag Reduction System will also be replaced by a Manual Override Mode, or a push-to-pass button. Another thing that will come as a relief to many drivers is the reduction in the ground effect. This came about, largely thanks to all the complaints about the cars ‘porpoising’, which could have potentially broken someone’s back. One important question that fans will have is, will the cars be fast?

Sadly, the 2026 cars will be at least 2 seconds slower than the previous generation, as per projections. There have also been a host of changes in terms of safety standards. This won’t just be present to safeguard the drivers, but also the marshals on the race track, as well as the pit crews.

Finally, cooling vests have now become mandatory whenever the FIA declares a heat hazard before a race weekend. The vests themselves will also be redesigned in order to be functional for the drivers.