A New York City Grand Prix? Location ideas offer clue into potential

As Formula 1 has continued to grow in America, the prospect of a Grand Prix in New York City has piqued the interest of everyone.

Fans to sponsors and everyone in between will have their own opinions on this potentially huge spectacle, but the two people who could make the deal happen — NYC mayor Eric Adams and Formula 1 group CEO Stefano Domenicali — have such different ideas regarding the event that it shows just how long it will take to strike a deal.

Ask Domenicali for his ideal NYC GP locale, and he’ll point to Central Park. The 843-acre park bridges the gap between New York’s Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods and is one of the greatest tourist attractions in the city.

Hosting a race within Central Park could theoretically reduce the need for road closures, but it would also significantly impact one of New York’s tourism hubs.

Mayor Adams, meanwhile, has proposed another venue that is entirely different: Randalls and Wards Islands.

These conjoined islands are primarily composed of parks, sports fields, and shipping centers. While the locale offers impressive skyline views, it’s not quite the city-center race Domenicali is interested in — and that could become a massive detriment to any race hosted there.

Formula 1 has already experienced this issue in America in recent years with the Miami Grand Prix. The Florida event was originally intended to be hosted at Biscayne Bay, which would have offered some exceptional waterfront racing at a venue embedded in traditional Miami culture.

Instead, the Miami Grand Prix is actually situated about 20 miles north of Miami proper, in the parking lot of the Dolphins Stadium in Miami Gardens. The location has essentially removed the allure of actually hosting a race in Miami.

I spoke to countless fans who attended the Miami Grand Prix who were frustrated by being forced to decide between staying closer to the track in a less compelling part of town, or staying in downtown Miami while facing a long commute to the track.

When it comes to a prospective New York City Grand Prix, Formula 1 must be conscious of location.

Domenicali’s ambitious Central Park suggestion certainly sounds more appealing than that of Mayor Eric Adams, and getting an event off the ground will result in compromise.

But if F1 accepts too many concessions, a NYC GP may not even be worth the effort it’ll take to get it off the ground.