F1 return to Indianapolis "on the horizon"

Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske has revealed F1's return to the circuit is "on the horizon" following talks with the sport's CEO Stefano Domenicali.

F1 recently signed a 10-year contract to stage a grand prix in Miami from 2022 as it seeks expansion in the United States.

At present, however, there is a question mark over whether there will be a United States Grand Prix next season as F1's deal with current hosts, Austin's Circuit of the Americas, expires after this year's race in October.

It has raised the possibility of F1 potentially returning to IMS, where it last raced in 2007, with Penske holding “more than a couple” of discussions with Domenicali about the prospect.

“He’d love to come to Indy, but I think they have to decide about how many races they can have in North America,” Penske told the IndyStar. “We’re always interested, but we’re going to need to look at the economics.

“And I don’t think you’d expect us, based on what we’ve been through in 2020 and 2021 here, to be ready to overcommit to an F1 race right now. But it’s on the horizon.”

Like any company, the pandemic has naturally had a major impact despite Penske overhauling the business following his arrival in January last year.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown recently suggested F1 could rotate a second US race between Indy and COTA, an idea Penske is not averse to.

"We would like to have one every year if it’s a commercially beneficial situation," added Penske.

"On the other hand, even if it was, you could have it every two years. That would be great, too. I’m open, but we’ve never really gotten down to that kind of discussion at all.”

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