F1 US GP sales took off 'when Max Verstappen stopped winning' claims race promoter

The F1 US GP race promoter has claimed that the ticket sales for the event took off after Max Verstappen stopped winning this season. The Red Bull driver has been dominant in the sport and broke multiple records last season. So much so that the driver ended up winning 19 of the 22 races.

This year, Red Bull once again started the season on a positive note, with Verstappen winning three of the first four races. There were expectations of the team repeating what it did in 2023 when it lost just once in 22 races. It did appear that the form would continue but things changed as the season progressed.

First, it was the race in Miami where McLaren brought a major upgrade that helped the team catch up with Red Bull. Lando Norris ended up winning the race as well, fending off Verstappen to pick up his first career win. Since then, the Austrian team has struggled, and that has helped other contenders to jump into the fray.

Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri have all won races, and hence created a level of unpredictability in the sport. The F1 US GP promoter feels that this has helped rejuvenate interest in the sport. Talking about the sales of the upcoming event, race promoter Bobby Epstein said the event sales shot up as soon as Max Verstappen stopped winning every race. He told Motorsport.com:

"I think it would have been our weakest year in four, since the pandemic. Our ticket sales really took off when Max stopped winning and it got more competitive. So, I give a lot of credit to our fan base and the audience, they're paying attention and I think it's exciting to see the season shape up the way it is."

He added:

"We're expecting another big crowd, probably somewhere around where it's been the last couple years. I would think whatever the record is for a Saturday sprint race, we should shatter that record, because Eminem has outsold Taylor Swift [who performed at the 2016 edition], and we've increased the size of the infield lawn to get to near 100,000 for the concert. So, I think 130,000 to 150,000 people will be there for the Saturday sprint race."

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Max Verstappen's splendid record at COTA

Max Verstappen himself has been brilliant at COTA over the years. The driver first won a race at the track in 2021 when he fended off Lewis Hamilton. Since then, he's not looked back. In 2022, the Red Bull driver overcame a poor pitstop to hunt down Hamilton and win the race.

The race in 2023 was arguably the most competitive one in the ground effect era. Verstappen did not have the best qualifying position, but a race that was more or less a chess match against Lando Norris and Hamilton saw the driver prevail with some impressive strategic nuance from Red Bull.

Heading to Austin this time around, Verstappen is on the back foot. Red Bull doesn't have the fastest car in F1 right now and the Dutch driver is trying hard to prevent his lead against Norris from diminishing. With a championship battle potentially on the table, it could lead to an influx of fans, as there is certainly something to look forward to compared to the last few seasons.