Analysis: America Waits for New Andretti

The U.S. Formula One Grand Prix was a success, despite the doubts and misgivings expressed before the event.

Flags were waved, patriotic songs sung and 175,000 supporters turned out for the biggest international sporting event in America following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. But one key ingredient was missing from the mix in Indianapolis last Sunday and there appears to be little prospect of it being added soon.

Indianapolis may pride itself as the "Racing Capital of the World' but it could be a very long wait before local fans at 'The Brickyard' have a chance to see an American back in a Formula One car. Malaysia now has Alex Yoong, the Czech Republic has a first Formula One driver in Tomas Enge while India's Narain Karthikeyan is testing and trying to get himself noticed.

Japan, currently without any home-grown Formula One drivers despite Honda and Toyota's deep involvement, look sure to correct that soon with Takuma Sato. The United States seems to have nothing in the Formula One pipeline. The last home driver to race in a U.S. Grand Prix was Eddie Cheever, third in Phoenix for Arrows in 1989.

To find a winner, you have to go back to Mario Andretti in 1978, the year he became World Champion. Andretti was born in Italy, arriving in America as the teenage son of poor immigrants.

European Key

Formula One's return to America in 2000 after a nine-season absence was seen as another chance of cracking a hugely important but dormant market. Big steps have been made but there is still a long road to travel. Another race, probably a return to the West Coast, would help.

So too would an American driver or two, and there have been some truly great ones in the past, but the answers to questions about emerging local talent at Indianapolis were not encouraging.

"I don't know any, to be honest," said McLaren team principal Ron Dennis. But he echoed the recent words of Bobby Rahal, the triple CART champion and team owner who provided the country's deepest recent involvement in Formula One until he was ousted as boss of Jaguar this season.

Before he left, Rahal had warned that the European-dominated sport would never achieve any kind of general interest in his homeland until it had someone or some team for the locals to support as their own.

"There's about three of four (Americans) in England currently and ultimately I think that's what it's going to take," he said. Dennis agreed that Europe was the key.

"History shows that if an American or any nationality of driver wishes to take a career path with a view to coming into Formula One, they have to accept that they are going to race in Europe," he said. "It doesn't really matter from which country they come, they have to race in Europe.

"There are now three categories which are now the primary feeders - one is Formula Three, the other is Formula Renault now and the third is F3000. And that's where they need to be if they want to be seen and ultimately selected."

"We're only interested in winning races," added Dennis. "We're not interested in their nationalities."

That may be so. But nobody doubts an American winner is just what the wider audience is waiting for.