US Grand Prix promoter expects record crowd despite new F1 rules

Despite some criticism of Formula 1's new rules from fans and drivers, the promoter of the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, anticipates a record-breaking crowd for this year's event. Bobby Epstein, founder of the Circuit of the Americas and race promoter, stated that the new engine era has not negatively impacted ticket sales.

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It hasn't hurt our ticket sales this year. We're actually on pace for a record year. We are seeing massive demand and could easily break our prior year record.

"We're actually on pace for a record year. We are seeing massive demand and could easily break our prior year record," Epstein told reporters. He believes many attendees are fans of the event itself, not just the sport, and views some of the criticism as anticipated noise during a period of significant rule changes. Epstein is focusing on the strong interest in the event rather than the technical aspects of the regulations.

Last year's race in Austin was a sell-out, attracting an estimated crowd of over 400,000 people throughout the weekend. Epstein also revealed that ongoing road improvements and the addition of new lanes are designed to ease access to and from the track. These enhancements could potentially increase daily attendance by an additional 15,000 to 30,000 people.

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I think a lot of our fans are fans of our event as much as they are of the sport itself, so some of that (criticism) is probably anticipated noise that you have from a year where you have a major overhaul in the rules.

Formula 1 has reported that six of the eleven rounds held so far this season have drawn record crowds, suggesting a broader trend of increasing popularity for the sport globally.

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I think what we're seeing is massive interest in the event and so I'm not as focused on the rules and regs that affect the competition.