Formula 1 has gained immense popularity in the United States in recent times, thanks to the impact of Netflix’s Formula 1 documentary series, Drive To Survive. However, if you go by Vincenzo Landino’s interview of the famous American comedian, John Crist, during the 2023 GEICO 500, Formula 1 still has a ways to go before our beloved F1 stars like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton become household names in America.

Sports journalist Vincenzo Landino caught up with John Crist for a quick chat during the NASCAR race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Landino wanted to see if the comedy star could recognize famous F1 personalities. When Landino showed the images of some of F1’s most iconic drivers, Crist failed to recognize the likes of Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Nigel Mansell, and even Michael Schumacher.

John Crist thought Max Verstappen was Dave from Wendy’s

First on the list of F1 drivers was Lewis Hamilton, and the comedian was completely unable to recognize the 7-time world champion from Britain. When faced with Max Verstappen, Crist responded by saying, “I was going to say ‘That’s Dave From Wendy’s’ but that’s not it.“ The comedian even mistook the double world champion, Fernando Alonso, for a GQ model. “That’s a GQ model, he’s not a driver,“ said Crist.

When shown the image of 1992 F1 world champion, Nigel Mansell, Crist said, “That looks like one of my uncles from a family reunion.“ He even hilariously dubbed Nigel Mansell, as “‘Wish’ Dale Earnhardt.“

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Finally, it was Michael Schumacher’s turn, arguably the most popular Formula 1 driver ever. However, Crist failed to recognize him as well. He candidly likened him to Ivan Drage who fought Silvester Stallone in Rocky IV. “That looks like the guy that fought against Rocky with the flat top… that looks like Ivan Drago,“ said Crist. To be honest, it was a bit of a shocker to see some of the most popular racers in the world being unrecognized in America, where F1 has become so popular recently.

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This hilarious interview begs the question. Is Formula 1 really as popular in the United States as we are made to believe?

How popular is Formula 1 in America?

While Formula 1 has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, with drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen supposedly becoming household names, NASCAR and IndyCar have held a strong grip on America’s motorsport fans for generations.

Although F1 has held races in the United States as far back as 1959, the sport always struggled to find a foothold. Until very recently F1 struggled to sell the tickets for the Grands Prix at COTA and Mexico. However, F1 has made head rows in the US, evident from the fact that tickets for events like the Las Vegas GP were sold out months in advance. Looking at the progress made in recent years, F1 has also revitalized its dream of hosting a race in New York City.

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While it may take some years for F1 to rival the popularity of NASCAR and IndyCar, the sport is undoubtedly making strides toward winning over American hearts and minds.