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United States Grand Prix

Crowds at the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis have exceeded 200,000

The United States Grand Prix is a Formula One event which has taken place at various times since 1959 in several locations.

In the early days of Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 was considered an F1 championship event. However, except for Alberto Ascari in 1952, no regular F1 drivers appeared at these races. It would not be until 7 years later when there was an official Formula One event held in the States which brought out the top drivers of the sport. This race would be held at Sebring and would be held at the end of the 1959 season in December. Bruce McLaren won the first US GP, also his first win in F1. The race wasn't successful from the hosts' standpoint and it moved to Riverside in 1960. Similar lack of success followed and it eventually took residence in Watkins Glen the following year. Proving the 3rd time was indeed a charm, F1 found the United States Grand Prix's permanent home with the Glen for the next 20 years.

With the Watkins Glen track on the downslope during the mid-70s, a second U.S. Grand Prix race was held in Long Beach near Los Angeles. The street circuit was an immediate success from its first race in 1976, and it became the U.S.'s answer to the Monaco Grand Prix. When Watkins Glen went off the schedule, F1 continued to look west and put an event in Las Vegas for the 1981 campaign. This bookended the year, where as the Long Beach event started it, but the event, held in the Caesar's Palace parking lot, was not popular among drivers, although the track was surprisingly well set up for a temporary circuit. In 1982, there was a 3rd U.S. GP held in Detroit on another street course.

The Vegas course left the schedule after 2 seasons, and there were plans for a New York Grand Prix in 1983 to replace it, but this was cancelled unexpectedly in mid-year. Long Beach left the schedule after that year, and the Detroit course was joined in 1984 by a course in Dallas' Fair Park. When that event failed, the U.S. had only the Detroit circuit remaining on the schedule. 5 years later, F1 left Detroit and again headed west to a Phoenix street course. This lasted 3 years without much success and when it left in 1991, there was no replacement.

Cars wind through the infield section at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the start of the 2003 USGP

It was not until 2000 before another United States Grand Prix took place, taking place at a road course built into Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where it continues to take place today. It's become a successful event on the calendar since its re-appearance on the schedule.

Past Winners:

Sebring

1959 - Bruce McLaren, (New Zealand)

Riverside

1960 - Stirling Moss, (United Kingdom)

Watkins Glen

Long Beach

Las Vegas

1981 - Alan Jones, (Australia)
1982 - Michele Alboreto, (Italy)

Detroit

Dallas

1984 - Keke Rosberg, (Finland)

Phoenix

Indianapolis

External links

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "United States Grand Prix".