US F1 Grand Prix ticket sales 'took off' after Verstappen stopped winning

03 October 2024 - 09:44
By Reuters
Max Verstappen, who won 19 of 22 races last year, has failed to win any of the past eight, with McLaren's Lando Norris his closest challenger and now 52 points behind in the championship with six rounds remaining.
Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images Max Verstappen, who won 19 of 22 races last year, has failed to win any of the past eight, with McLaren's Lando Norris his closest challenger and now 52 points behind in the championship with six rounds remaining.

Ticket sales for this month's US Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, “took off” after Max Verstappen stopped winning, according to race promoter Bobby Epstein.

Red Bull's Verstappen started the season in dominant fashion, winning four of the first five races and seemingly set to wrap up his fourth drivers' title well before the end of the campaign.

The Dutch 27-year-old, who won 19 of 22 races last year, has failed to win any of the past eight, with McLaren's Lando Norris his closest challenger and now 52 points behind in the championship with six rounds remaining.

“Our ticket sales took off when Max stopped winning and it got more competitive,” Epstein, whose Circuit of the Americas hosts a sprint race weekend on October 19-20, told reporters.

The promoter had feared a “weakest year in four since the pandemic” but said there had instead been a “hockey stick” effect of sales trending upwards.

The Grand Prix will also be the first since Red Bull-owned RB dropped Australian Daniel Ricciardo, a big favourite of the US crowd, last month and replaced him with New Zealander Liam Lawson.

Epstein hoped Ricciardo might still attend in some other role. “I'm not sure people are buying tickets to see him race if he's not in a competitive car.

“If you're coming, though, because he's part of the F1 community, I think he can still be part of the F1 community in a meaningful way. He's really loved in Texas and I think he likes it here.

“I hope he's still coming because we've got a lot of people who would love to shake his hand or get his autograph or take a picture or just see him around town. We'll keep him busy.”

The circuit will host an Eminem concert after the Saturday sprint and Epstein expected a crowd of 130,000-150,000 on that day.

There will also be a college-football game in town on the Saturday between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs, a heavyweight clash that has sent hotel prices soaring in the state capital.

“We'll have a weekend like we've never had before in overall excitement and things to do,” said Epstein.

“That we've got the top-ranked college game happening on Saturday is going to make an amazing weekend.”