The Formula One racing franchise has filed for trademarks indicating it could be seeking a race in Chicago, less than a year after NASCAR held its first street race in Grant Park.
F1 applied for variations of the trademark “Formula 1 Chicago Grand Prix” and “Grand Prix Chicago” on Jan. 19, according to U.S. patent office records.
Filing trademarks could be a protective measure. But it could also show the franchise is considering a Chicago race.
There is some indication the city has held initial talks with F1 about a possible Chicago race, downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) says.
“I’m told that F1 typically requires a 10-year minimum deal. And that appears to be non-negotiable. The conversation [with the city] did not get much past that,” Hopkins said.
F1 and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
The prospect of a second major motorsports event in Chicago came as a surprise to Hopkins and other downtown alderpeople. After NASCAR’s inaugural street race last Fourth of July weekend, downtown residents were split about whether they wanted the race to return, surveys found.
Alderpeople were also surprised when then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a three-year deal with NASCAR for downtown races.
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said he doesn’t think the city could handle both F1 and NASCAR.
“It would have to be one or the other,” Reilly said.
Hosting an F1 race would likely be more complicated than NASCAR’s street race, which shut down Grant Park and surrounding streets for weeks last summer. F1 tracks tend to be longer than NASCAR’s 2.2-mile course around Buckingham Fountain. F1’s recent events in Austin, Las Vegas and Miami were all between 3 and 4 miles long.
Building out the track would also be more complex for an F1 race, Hopkins said.
“What we did with NASCAR, welding manhole covers and smoothing over potholes and calling it a track — that doesn’t work with F1,” Hopkins said. “More complicated, thus higher price tag.”
F1 has grown in popularity in the U.S. since the Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive” debuted in 2019. F1 has held races in Austin, Texas, since 2012.
F1 has also held a few appearances in Chicago.
Last September, F1 showed off a Red Bull-sponsored car on a 2,000-foot circuit on Madison Street near the United Center. In 2019, F1 held the Emirates F1 Chicago Festival at Soldier Field, which included a live car run on Special Olympics Drive.
It’s unclear when F1 could hold a race in Chicago. Its 2024 schedule has been set.
NASCAR held its first street race ever in Grant Park on July 1-2. Although mired by record rainfall, thousands attended. The race also delivered huge television ratings.
After criticism that NASCAR was taking too much time to set up and tear down its track, the franchise in October pledged to reduce the time it ties up streets. The racing association also reportedly pledged to pay the city $2 million more in fees.
NASCAR has completed one yearly race in a three-year deal with Lightfoot for street races in Grant Park. Johnson has said he’ll honor it.
