Long before Formula 1 became a booming phenomenon across the United States, Flavio Briatore and Donald Trump were already trying to bring the championship to America’s doorstep – with New Jersey once lined up as the unlikely stage for a grand prix that never happened.
The Alpine team boss has lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes effort that saw him join forces with the future US president to convince Formula 1 chiefs that a race near New York could become a major attraction.
The ambitious project ultimately faded away, but Briatore believes it was a victim of timing, with Formula 1’s value in the American market not yet understood.
Trump’s New York vision pointed toward New Jersey
Speaking about the abandoned plan, Briatore recalled how he and Trump approached then-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone after the championship’s relationship with Indianapolis ended in 2007.
While Trump was not an expert on the sport, Briatore saw his promotional instincts as a major asset.
"Sure, Donald had no idea as well about Formula 1 - but he's a great promoter," Briatore told The Race’s Darren Cox.
"At the time, he promoted boxing, he promoted everything in Vegas, etc, etc…"
©Red Bull
Briatore explained that Trump was the one who steered Formula 1 toward New jersey after arguing against a race in Manhattan, mainly for red tape reasons.
“I made Donald talk with Bernie. I was in the office of Donald. We put in [a] video with Bernie to [find], what was the best place in New York to do the race."
"And Donald [told] us New York is very difficult for a million reasons, but Jersey was the place. So Bernie started negotiating Jersey with two or three different people."
However, despite momentum behind the proposal, the project failed to materialise.
"But we never succeeded, because Formula 1 was not… considered something special. You talk about… NASCAR, you talk about Indy[Car], completely different business. And Formula 1 was not [valued] at all."
A forgotten F1 dream before America’s boom
The New Jersey proposal eventually evolved into the planned Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial, with a debut originally targeted for 2013. Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard even sampled a version of the street circuit layout during a Red Bull and Infiniti promotional event.
But repeated delays eventually killed the project, while Formula 1 established Austin’s Circuit of The Americas as its American base from 2012.
Briatore believes the landscape has since been transformed, largely thanks to Liberty Media’s commercial approach after acquiring F1 in 2017.
"Now, you go to America, you go to Miami, 500,000 people [attend],” he said.
"You go to Austin, full, you go to Vegas. You see, Formula 1 is changing dramatically. You see, every race is sold out, sold out, [whether it’s] raining, not raining."
For Briatore, the difference has been the way Formula 1 presents itself as a global entertainment product.
"And, what has changed is really the commercial side. Liberty is much more open. Bernie was very strong, very restrictive in the business,” he added.
"And, Liberty opened the commercial side, opened completely. Marketing opened completely. And, Liberty is working with the team in [a] very good partnership, if you want."
A decade ago, a New Jersey Grand Prix looked like a missed opportunity. Today, it serves as a reminder of just how dramatically Formula 1’s fortunes in America have changed.
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