Ex-F1 driver Gerhard Berger says Formula 1's success in America is important for the sport but insists Grand Prix racing shouldn't lose its core European culture by Americanizing its show.
F1's recent Miami Grand Prix was preceded by a pre-race extravaganza held on the track's main straight to introduce the drivers to the crowd, with rapper LL Cool J doing the honours.
The high-energy moment – while in line with the American way of doing things at sporting events – was labeled as an unnecessary distraction by most drivers.
Berger is all for F1 conquering the hearts of American fans, but the ten-time Grand Prix winner would not like to see the US-style presentation become the norm rather than the exception.
For the Austrian, the sport must not shift too far away from its European culture, which exudes a certain sense of sophistication and elegance that is deeply ingrained in F1's DNA.
"Now with Liberty Media at the helm, we have finally managed to get America behind Formula 1," Berger told ServusTV. "I’m happy for Formula 1.
"I say that Formula 1 basically has a European culture. You must not bend this culture.
"This enhanced show component of the Americans, which sometimes dilutes the whole thing a bit, I personally don’t like it that much – including the Netflix documentary."
Berger nevertheless recognized that Formula 1's efforts to increase its footprint in the U.S. are proving very successful.
"We have raced in America, but we had hardly been able to spark any enthusiasm there," he said, referring to the period in the 80s and 90s when he raced in F1.
"There was a hard core of fans, there were 30,000 spectators at such a race.
"But today there are 300,000 in Miami and even 400,000 in Austin."
After Miami and Austin in October, Las Vegas will celebrate its arrival on F1's calendar in November, and it's likely that Sin City's pre-race extravaganza will surpass in energy and fanfare anything the sport has seen so far.
Brace yourselves European fans!
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