Briatore Reveals Trump and Ecclestone's Failed New Jersey F1 Plan

Flavio Briatore has disclosed that Donald Trump once spearheaded an effort to bring Formula 1 to New Jersey after the 2007 US Grand Prix was axed, only for the project to collapse because the sport held little commercial value in America at the time. The Alpine executive advisor revealed that he personally brokered a meeting between Trump and then-F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, with Trump arguing that New Jersey was far more practical than Manhattan. Despite Trump's background as a major events promoter, the push failed because American motorsport culture simply had no appetite for grand prix racing.

Why it matters:

Briatore's account offers a remarkable snapshot of F1's lowest ebb in North America, when the sport's leadership relied on unconventional intermediaries just to restart a conversation about a US race. The failed project illustrates the vast commercial transformation F1 has undergone since the late 2000s. A market that once dismissed grand prix racing as irrelevant compared to NASCAR and IndyCar now represents one of the most profitable regions on the calendar, underscoring why Liberty Media and current F1 leadership have invested so heavily in American market penetration.

The details:

• During The Race Business's 'In Conversation With…' series, Briatore explained that he arranged a meeting between Trump and Ecclestone after the 2007 US Grand Prix was dropped from the calendar.
• Trump, who had promoted boxing and major Las Vegas events, immediately dismissed the idea of a New York City street race. He told Ecclestone that Manhattan was "very difficult for a million reasons" and insisted New Jersey was the logical alternative.
• Ecclestone subsequently entered negotiations with multiple Jersey stakeholders, but the talks stalled because potential partners simply did not view a grand prix as a special or worthwhile investment.
• Briatore noted that F1 was "not valued at all" in American motorsport circles at the time, where NASCAR and IndyCar dominated commercial and fan attention. Even Trump's promotional instincts and Ecclestone's deal-making power proved insufficient to overcome the widespread indifference.

The big picture:

F1's American trajectory has reversed completely. The country now hosts three grands prix annually in Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas, with Cadillac's long-awaited entry reinforcing the sport's deep integration into the US market. The Netflix-driven boom has turned the United States from a problematic afterthought into a central pillar of F1's global growth strategy, attracting an entirely new demographic. Where Trump and Ecclestone once struggled to find a single willing partner near New York, American cities now actively compete for calendar slots, often paying substantial hosting fees. Briatore's recollection captures a moment when F1 had to fight for relevance in a market it now dominates, marking one of modern motorsport's most striking commercial turnarounds.

What's next:

There are no current indications that the New Jersey proposal will be revived, with Las Vegas and Miami already serving major American markets. Briatore's revelation adds a fascinating footnote to F1's expansion narrative, showing that today's success was built on failed experiments and unlikely alliances long before Drive to Survive existed. As Cadillac prepares to join the grid, the American market that once rejected grand prix racing now sits firmly at the center of the championship's future.