Formula One

Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial Joins FIA Formula One World Championship First Race June 16, 2013

The inaugural Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial is set to join the FIA Formula One World Championship on June 16, 2013. The date was announced by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) as part of a 20-race schedule in 19 countries on five continents.

The Grand Prix of America will run on a 3.2-mile street circuit between Weehawken and West New York, N.J., with the New York City skyline as a backdrop. It will be the first Formula One race held in the New Jersey / New York area in the 63-year history of the world championship. Fans will be treated to three days of action, June 14 to 16, including Formula One practice and qualifying sessions, support series races and Sunday’s Formula One race.

“I am proud that years of hard work have brought us to this point and we look forward to bringing world-class Formula One racing to New Jersey,” race promoter and executive director Leo Hindery, Jr. said.

“The support we have had from elected officials like New Jersey Governor Christie and the mayors of Weehawken and West New York, a committed property developer and a great management team has been incredible. They have stuck by us through this process and we owe them our thanks. The Grand Prix of America will be a special and historic race for New Jersey and New York, for the drivers and, most importantly, for the dedicated fans of Formula One racing.”

Hindery has a long history in motorsport as a driver and executive. He won his class in the 2005 24 Heures du Mans (24 Hours of Le Mans). He is also the founding chairman and former CEO of The YES Network, the largest and most successful regional sports network in the United States and the television home of the New York Yankees. He currently serves as managing partner of InterMedia Partners, LP, a media industry private equity fund headquartered in New York City.

“I became a racer very late in my life,” Hindery said. “But if you’re committed, passionate and have a great team of people behind you, you’re on the road to success.

“Formula One’s president and chief executive officer, Bernie Ecclestone, has set the highest possible standards for the drivers and their teams, fans, sponsors, and the region we call home. We won’t be satisfied until those standards are met.”

The world’s top drivers will pilot the fastest, most high-tech race cars in the world on the streets of New Jersey when the Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial joins the FIA Formula One World Championship. The inaugural race is planned for June 16, 2013, on the 3.2-mile street circuit in Weehawken and West New York, N.J., against the backdrop of the New York City skyline.