Donald Trump sparked bid for New Jersey F1 race

Donald Trump shouts in the McLaren garage at the 2024 Miami GP — Photo: © IMAGO

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Donald Trump sparked bid for New Jersey F1 race

By Brian Van Hinthum.

Tuesday 4 August 2026 12:27

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Alpine F1 chief Flavio Briatore has revealed that he once teamed up with Donald Trump to try and bring a Formula 1 race to New Jersey.

After Formula 1’s final race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007, there was a strong desire to reintroduce the sport to the US market.

Briatore joined forces with then-business mogul Trump to explore potential new venues. While initial plans centred on New York, Trump quickly shifted the focus to New Jersey.

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The proposed Port Imperial circuit was slated to debut in 2013, but the idea was eventually shelved.

Trump didn’t believe in New York F1 race

In an interview with The Race, the Italian reflected on his working relationship with the current US President.

“Sure, Donald didn’t know much about Formula 1 at the start, but he’s an incredible promoter,” Briatore noted.

“Back then, he was busy promoting boxing and everything happening in Vegas.”

He went on to explain that he later introduced Trump to former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. “I remember being in Donald’s office when we set up a video call with Bernie to scout the perfect New York venue,” he recalled.

“It was then that Donald made it clear: New York was too challenging, but New Jersey had unlimited potential. Bernie soon began negotiating with a few local contacts in Jersey.”

Lack of popularity

Eventually, all talks came to nothing.

Briatore attributed the failure to the sport’s status in America at that time. “We never succeeded because Formula 1 wasn’t seen as something unique,” he explained.

“In the US, you have NASCAR and IndyCar — they were on a completely different level, and Formula 1 simply wasn’t valued.”

Today, that perception has completely changed with packed races in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas. Briatore praised the new approach, noting, “The commercial side has evolved remarkably. Liberty Media is much more open, unlike Bernie’s previously restrictive business tactics.”