Austin has been a decade in the making

After discussions since 1999, Formula One racing is returning to the United States in 2012, with a 10-year deal to stage the US Grand Prix in the Texan city.

The most notable blemish at the Indianapolis track occurred in 2005 when 14 of 20 drivers pulled off the track just before the race started as a protest over concerns about tyre safety.

AUSTIN // Formula One racing is returning to the United States in 2012, with a 10-year deal to stage the US Grand Prix on a track built specifically for the event. Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One president, said the circuit in Austin would be the first course in the US exclusively for F1.

The Austin American-Statesman reported the track would cost at least US$250 million (Dh918m), considerably less than the estimated $400 million spent to build Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Tavo Hellmund, the managing partner of a race promoter involved in the deal, told the newspaper he had talked with Ecclestone as early as 1999 about a Formula One event for Austin and began serious discussion four years ago.

"Austin is more of an F1 crowd than a NASCAR crowd," Hellmund said. "The geography, the tech money, the nightlife, the music. It all just fits with what Formula One is all about." Austin, with a metro population of about 1.7 million, is a three-hour drive from Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Hellmund said Austin had to compete with interest for the race "from New York to Miami." Formula One has been hot and cold on its desire to hold a race in the United States since an eight-year run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ended after 2007.

In 2007, Ecclestone made fans angry when he said Formula One did not need an American race, even though the US Grand Prix consistently drew one of the biggest crowds on the circuit, attracting about 125,000 fans each year. In March, Ecclestone told Italian media he wanted a race in New York City. But the race landed in Austin. Formula One officials who visited Austin were impressed with the city and the plan to build a grand prix-specific course, Hellmund said. "You don't put Austin in same sentence as Monaco or Singapore, but everyone was blown away," Hellmund said. "Austin has grown up. I think they fell in love with the city. It isn't a one-trick pony where we're going to set up a street course."

The eight-year run at Indianapolis produced mixed results. The most notable blemish occurred in 2005 when 14 of 20 drivers pulled off the track just before the race started as a protest over concerns about tyre safety. Before its run in Indianapolis, Formula One had been hosted in the US by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix, all on city street circuits. Meanwhile, Mark Webber has refused to let his dizzying spell of success go to his head as he attempts to focus on a third successive victory in Istanbul on Sunday.

In the space of seven days earlier this month, Webber catapulted himself into the Formula One title reckoning with back-to-back triumphs in Spain and Monaco. "It was a special few days, and the emotions from the Monaco race were incredible," said Webber. "It's nice to reflect on that for a short time, but then you have to get your head down and concentrate on keeping your form. "It's important to stay focused and get back to business. It's easy to talk about what you're going to do - anyone can do that. The key is getting out there and doing it.

"I'm working hard with the team. There's a lot more to do, and we need to keep going." * PA