Look back: Formula 1's on-off love affair with the US

Niki Lauda (Ferrari) at Detroit in 1984 © F1i-photo.com / Cahier Archive

Next up on the 2018 world championship schedule is Formula 1's annual visit to the United States.

Despite being the global home of the motor car, the US has been a difficult country for F1 to crack in terms of popularity. Too many competing home grown motor racing series such as NASCAR and IndyCar have resulted in F1 struggling to achieve the level of success it had been aiming for.

When Formula 1 was first set-up in 1950, the Indianapolis 500 was formally part of the championship, with Johnnie Parsons the winner that year. However the Indy 500's month-long build-up together with the long-haul travel involved meant that in practice few drivers taking part in the European races were able to spare the time to compete in the Indy 500, and vice verse.

Stirling Moss (Lotus) 1960 United States Grand Prix © F1-photo.com / Cahier Achive

In 1959, F1 added the first proper stand-along United States Grand Prix to the calendar. It was the final event of the season and was held in December at Sebring International Raceway, and the winner was Cooper's Bruce McLaren. The following year the race was moved to Riverside International Raceway where Stirling Moss emerged victorious for Lotus. After that, the United States Grand Prix found a long-term home at Watkins Glen where winners included Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fitipaldi, Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The final race at the Glen in 1980 was won by Alan Jones.

After the Glen, the race moved to the car lot at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for two years. There was also a United States Grand Prix West held at Long Beach between 1976 and 1983, and a Detroit Grand Prix that took place from 1982 until 1988 - meaning that the overlap year 1982 was the first time that one country had ever hosted three Formula 1 races in a single season, the pinnacle of the sport's popularity in the US.

2005 UInited States Grand Prix starting grid

The starting grid for the 2005 United States Grand Prix © XPB

1984 saw an additional one-off race held in Dallas, with the US Grand Prix eventually moving to the streets of Phoenix in 1989. But the race dropped off the calendar entirely after 1991, and it wasn't until 2000 when Bernie Ecclestone brought F1 back to the States at a custom built circuit within the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Michael Schumacher won the first Grand Prix there and was victorious four more times thereafter - including the infamous 2005 race when only six cars took part after teams running Michelin tyres were forced to pull out on safety grounds.

The notoriety of 'Indygate' meant that 2007 was the final Grand Prix to be held at IMS. It was another five years until F1 returned to the country, now at the brand new Circuit of the Americas facility in Austin, Texas. It's been a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton who has won five of the six races to have been staged at COTA, with Sebastian Vettel victorious for Red Bull in 2013.

F1's new owners Liberty are well known to be keen to get a second race in the US with attempts having been made in New Jersey and Miami, but currently only the one race at COTA is on the calendar. Let's hope F1 doesn't lose its foothold in the country again in the future.