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A Formula 1 Race in Texas, but Where Are the American Drivers?
Formula 1 is mostly a European sport, and contenders must climb the racing ladder through events there. That is difficult for Americans.
There will be no American driver racing at this year’s United States Grand Prix.
In last year’s edition of the race, the rookie Logan Sargeant of Williams became the first American to score points in Formula 1 since Michael Andretti in 1993, finishing 10th at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
But Sargeant, the only American with a seat in Formula 1, was dropped by the team in August.
“He’s reached the limit of what he’s able to achieve — and in fact it’s almost unfair on him to furthermore continue with him,” James Vowles, the Williams team principal, said after Sargeant’s exit.
His replacement, Franco Colapinto of Argentina, finished eighth in Azerbaijan, surpassing in his second start what Sargeant had achieved in 18 months.
Yet the absence of an American driver is not an aberration.
In the 30 years between Andretti’s and Sargeant’s points, the only Americans have been Scott Speed from 2006-7 and Alexander Rossi for five races in 2015.
The F.I.A., the sport’s governing body, has a defined single-seater pyramid, with karting and regional entry-level Formula 4 and Formula Regional championships, but the strongest of these are in Europe, which is also the hub of Formula 1’s support categories, Formula 2 and Formula 3.
