Longtime Formula One fans have been up in arms online after the sport announced its intention to contest two new races in America, one in Miami and one in Las Vegas. Many arguments have tended to blame America itself for things like the high ticket prices at events or the growing spectacle of F1 — but that thread of reasoning is misguided. If we want to point fingers at anyone for creating the conditions of F1's rampant success and subsequent exclusivity, we need to be blaming Bernie Ecclestone.
I understand the impetus to blame America for the bulk of F1's problems. I really, truly get it. We are loud and obnoxious. We force everyone to look at us, to follow our trends, to accommodate our cultural quirks, to bend over backwards for us. But Formula One did not suddenly grow more expensive or exclusive solely due to American influence. That came long before in the form of an impish man named Bernie Ecclestone.
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