For the ones who followed Formula 1 before its big break in America, treasure the sport for its high-octane entertainment, drama, and the pure joy of racing at break-neck speeds. That being said, what the sport as a business has achieved in the past few years is something that needs massive acknowledgment, too. It’s no secret that, before Liberty Media bought F1 out of Bernie Ecclestone’s clutches, the sport was having a hard time appealing to Americans. They already had NASCAR and the Formula 1 equivalent in the shape of IndyCar. But F1’s executive chairman, Chase Carey, knew F1 had an ace up its sleeves.

What makes Formula 1 instantly recognizable are the drivers. They are the heart and soul of the entire circus. Carey and Ecclestone both understood the importance of this. Luckily for them, on their roster was Lewis Hamilton, a man who could arguably disintegrate NASCAR and Indy in terms of marketability.

Hamilton’s importance wasn’t lost on the stakeholders of the sport masterminding this takeover. According to Time’s Sean Gregory, “Carey sees the chance to brand Formula One as an upscale alternative to other racing circuits. “NASCAR is sort of T-shirts and beer,” he says. “This is the sport of stars and celebrity. It’s champagne.” Gregory wrote this in his 2016 feature.

“If so, Hamilton is Dom Pérignon. “We need six of him,” says F1 CEO Bernie ­Ecclestone, the circuit’s 86-year-old grand poo-bah.” 

Read More: “It Was Senna but…”: Lewis Hamilton Takes the Crown From His Hero as F1 Guru Dissects the Phenom’s Supremacy

Since then, Hamilton has also gone on to cement himself in the varied American sporting scene. And F1’s newest US conquest may just be what both parties needed!

Lewis Hamilton gives his honest opinions about Las Vegas GP

America is a priority for F1. A testament to this is the fact that in 2023, the sport will hold a whopping three US Grands Prix. The most exciting of the trio has to be the newest one on the calendar. F1 will travel to Las Vegas this year.

Hamilton himself has expressed his enthusiasm at the prospect of racing in Sin City! MotorsportWeek quoted him at the GP’s launch party in 2022, saying, “I’m so excited to be in Vegas. Just driving down that strip, watching movies like so many of you have seen [set] in Vegas, the lights… this race could for sure be the best race of all time.”

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Is the sport’s popularity in the US mainly down to Hamilton? If so, how would F1’s viewership be affected in the US once the 7x champ decides to hang his racing helmet up?