Emerson Fittipaldi knows a thing or two about street circuits, having raced on them in Formula 1 and Indycar during his illustrious career, today hailing Stefano Domenicali for taking the sport to more street circuits.
As F1 heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, on a tricky street venue that merges the old city and the new, with state-of-the-art F1 cars the catalyst for that merger. Hence a boom in street venues is underway for the sport, with seven on the 2023 F1 calendar proof of the trend.
Amid lament, in some quarters, that F1 is neglecting its traditional and historic venues in favour of pop-up street arenas, double World Champion, Fittipaldi hailed the development: “Formula 1 makes a big statement by racing inside cities. The whole city, the whole country knows there’s a race. Sometimes at the dedicated circuits, you only see racing fans. At street circuits, the whole city is watching. That’s more important, in my opinion.
“Like Las Vegas is going to be this year,” noted Fittipaldi. “At night, they’re going to stop Las Vegas because they’ll race on the Strip and the whole city will stop. It will be fantastic and a big statement for Formula 1. That’s the right direction Stefano Domenicali and F1 is taking for the future.”
Although trendy again, F1 races on street circuits is not a new thing
Monaco started the trend long before the FIA F1 World Championship came into effect, and has been a mainstay of the calendar since 1950, and is referred to as F1’s Crown Jewel.
Bernie Ecclestone’s attempt to conquer the USA when he ruled F1, was through city races from a Las Vegas car Park, to Grands Prix on the streets of Long Beach, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix. Indycar followed suit and retains the tradition while last year Miami pop-up circuit with a fake Marina and all, invading the city for a weekend, as it will do again this year along with Las Vegas later this season.
Fitipaldi added: “I like how Formula E is racing mostly in street circuits. For two weeks you close down the whole town. A lot more money and preparation is needed – much more than at a dedicated circuit. But, for the city and for the country, it’s a big statement in my opinion.”
The Brazilain legend quit F1 at the end of 1980, a year later the first edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix took place and again the following year before disappearing off the calendar, thus Emmo never got to race F1 at that ill-fated pop-up car park but looks forward to the second coming of F1 to Strip.
Although Fittipaldi never won at Monaco in his ten attempts, he did finish second twice and in third once, his only victory on a street circuit was 1t the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona’s Monyjuic Park.
Apart from Monaco, Miami and Las Vegas on the F1 schedule this year, other street/city circuits on the 2023 include the recent races in Jeddah and Albert Park, Montreal’s Ile Notre Dame has hosted F1 since 1978. (Emerosn Fittipadi Quotes Provided by MyBettingSites.co.uk)