First Miami, then Las Vegas… and next Chicago? It is known that Formula 1 wants to expand in the United States of America, having debuted two city Grand Prix races in the last two seasons – Miami in 2022 and Las Vegas in 2023. Now, Chicago could be the next destination. At least, the trademarks have been registered with the responsible American entities.
Last week, Formula One Licensing BV registered four trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Grand Prix of Chicago, Formula 1 Grand Prix of Chicago, Chicago Grand Prix, and Formula 1 Chicago Grand Prix. Naturally, these registrations result from the intention to protect the names, without indicating concrete plans behind them.
For now, the USA has three GPs – besides Miami and Las Vegas, the US GP held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin and has a contract until 2026. Could it be replaced by Chicago at that time? Only time will tell. In recent years, there have already been activation events in that city, such as the F1 Chicago Festival in 2019 or the Red Bull Showrun Chicago last October.