Briatore reveals Donald Trump’s role in failed New Jersey F1 bid

Flavio Briatore has revealed Donald Trump played an unlikely behind-the-scenes role in Formula 1's failed attempt to establish a race in the New York area during the early 2010s. The former team principal enlisted the businessman to help navigate F1's return to the United States, resulting in a proposed New Jersey Grand Prix that never reached the grid.

Why it matters:

The episode highlights how differently the American market viewed F1 just over a decade ago. When the sport was scrambling to replace Indianapolis after 2007, NASCAR and IndyCar dominated the landscape, leaving F1 without the commercial clout to secure a foothold. That same territory now ranks among the championship's most valuable markets.

The details:

• Briatore, who knew Trump through their separate versions of The Apprentice, connected him with Bernie Ecclestone. Trump concluded New York City was unworkable and pointed officials toward New Jersey.
• The plan became the Grand Prix of America, with a 5.1-kilometre circuit around Port Imperial in Weehawken and West New York, offering a Manhattan skyline backdrop and elevation changes. Red Bull even conducted a filming day on the layout.
• The race was penciled in for 2013 before being withdrawn, then provisionally rescheduled for 2014, only to fall off again.
• Briatore told The Race the project failed because F1 simply "was not valued at all" by American partners at the time, making financial backing impossible.

The big picture:

The New Jersey failure came during a prolonged struggle for F1 in America, following unsuccessful ventures in Phoenix and Indianapolis. While the Circuit of the Americas brought stability in 2012, Briatore argues Liberty Media's 2017 acquisition fundamentally altered the sport's trajectory. Under Liberty's open commercial approach, F1 has exploded in popularity, adding Miami and Las Vegas to create a three-race American portfolio that dwarfs the aborted Hudson River project.