Formula one needs the US but Martin Whitmarsh has admitted he would have preferred a pair of races on the east and west coasts.<\/p>\n
After Indianapolis hosted America’s most recent grand prix in 2007, the sport will return to the USA next June to race on a bespoke circuit in the capital of Texas.<\/p>\n
But Austin is in the United States’ central south rather than on the eastern seaboard featuring New York, or the west close to Washington or California.<\/p>\n
“America doesn’t need us, but we need to conquer it,” Whitmarsh, not only boss of McLaren but also the F1 teams alliance FOTA, said during a fan’s forum on Thursday at the British team’s Woking factory.<\/p>\n
“Maybe we need to have two races a year and a proper marketing programme.\u00a0 We have to conquer America — that’s a five-year programme.\u00a0 We’ve got to be on the east coast and the west coast.<\/p>\n
“It’s a big enough market and an important enough market to have two races and we should be over there.<\/p>\n
“I have nothing against Texas and I hope it’s a very successful race, but the natural hinterland for us is the east coast and the west coast.\u00a0 Long Beach and around New York; those are the places where we’re going to create interest in F1,” added Whitmarsh.<\/p>\n
Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn agrees: “That (the east and west coast) is the commercial and business side.”<\/p>\n
And Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley added: “The west coast and the east coast are the natural homes for F1 in America.”<\/p>\n
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