Watkins Glen: The Lost American Home of F1

Credit:
© Christian Sinclair, via Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

When people talk about F1 in USA today, the spotlight falls on Miami’s glitz, Austin’s cowboy energy, or Las Vegas’s neon spectacle.

But decades before returned to U.S. in style, there was a track carved into the rolling hills of Upstate New York carried the championship on its back

That place was Watking Glen International, known to fans simply as ‘The Glen’.

A circuit born in the 1950s

Glen’s origins trace back to 1956, when a permanent circuit was built after a series of dangerous but wildly popular roads races on the village streets.

The track was not about luxury suites or VIP parties, it was raw speed, smell of oil in the air, and an intimacy between fans and drivers that today feels almost impossible.

Formula 1 arrives in America

Finally in 1961, FIA chose Glen to host the United States GP, a decision that gave America its first consistent foothold in the world championship.

That first race was historic, Innes Ireland who was driving for Lotus-Climax team, took the win, it was not his first and only F1 win, but also the first ever for Team Lotus, a team that would go on to dominate the sport in later decades.

From that moment Glen became a fixture, for two decades, the greatest names in F1 history, Clark, Stewart, Lauda and more great drivers, all braved its sweeping corners and treacherous Esses.

Triumph and tragedy

Let’s not forget about the iconic wins, moment of glory and heartbreaking loss in this circuit.

In 1970, young Emerson Fittipaldi claimed his first F1 victory here, becoming Brazil’s first ever circuit winner and igniting a legacy that would inspire generations of Brazilian drivers.

In 1973 the French driver François Cevert, a rising star of Tyrrell lost his life at Glen Watking Circuit during practice session.

A year later was Helmut Koinigg, these back to back accidents painted the Glen as a circuit that demanded respect and highlighted the urgent need for better safety.

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By 1975, organizers tried to redesign the track, added a chicane to slow cars through the Esses, but the reputation stuck, the Glen was thrilling but dangerous.

In 1979, Gilles Villeneuve was 11 seconds faster more than anybody else in practice session, it was one of his legendary drives in the rain, sliding and dancing his Ferrari around the track in a way that made fans fall in love with him all over again, he won that weekend by 48+ seconds ahead of Arnoux in wet conditions.

Why F1 left

By 1980, Glen was running on fumes, the charm of the old circuit was undeniable, but behind the scenes finances were collapsing.

Organizers failed to pay, the safety concerns, after 1980 F1 never returned at Glen Watkins, the circuit carried on with other forms of racing but F1 had moved on.

HOW IT LOOKS TODAY

What if F1 returned to New York?

What if F1 returned to Watkins Glen? Fans still remember Villeneuve’s legendary pace, Fittipaldi’s first win, and the countless greats who raced there. Just a few hours from New York City, it could have been a truly special home for F1 in America.

Why this circuit is important for F1 and for the fans?

F1 is booming in the United states, but sometimes it feels disconnected, as if the sport is chasing headlines more than history.

Waking Glen reminds us that USA’s link to F1 is not a new fad, it’s been part of the story since 1961, even earlier at the Indianapolis in 1950, first season of F1.

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Bringing the championship back to New York would close a circle, it would reconnect modern F1 with the circuit where legends were made, victories were tasted and risks were felt in their rawest form.

Watkins Glen is more just an old racetrack, it is a symbol of when F1 dared to cross the Antlantic and find a new home.

Perhaps, one day, it deserves to hear the sound of F1 engines again!