F1 General | Joe Unplugged | 171 | Why Don't We See More Americans on the F1 Grid?

About this episode

The episode explores the reasons behind the lack of American drivers in Formula 1 and the systemic challenges they face.

Why have so few Americans made it to the Formula 1 grid in nearly 40 years of racing — and is the system designed to keep them out? In this episode, Dick and Sabrina sit down with Joe Saward, one of the sport's most independent voices and one of only five journalists who attended every F1 race in 2025 on his own dime. They dig into the infrastructure, economics, and cultural realities that separate American karting talent from the European development pipeline — and why the gap has less to do...

People in this episode

Hosts: Dick, Sabrina

Guest: Joe Saward

Topics covered

• American drivers
• F1 grid
• karting talent
• European development
• sports journalism

Keywords

• F1
• American drivers
• Joe Saward
• karting
• European pipeline
• sports
• racing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Formula 1

More episodes of 2 Guys, A Girl, and F1 Podcast

• Race Review | 2026 Monaco Grand Prix | 182 | The Race Winner Was Never in Doubt. Everything Else Was a Disaster. · June 10, 2026 · 59 min
• Race Notes | 2026 Monaco Grand Prix | 181 | Kimi's Fifth & What the FIA Did in the Motorhomes That Nobody Talked About · June 10, 2026 · 22 min
• F1 General | Joe Unplugged | 180 | The Monaco Problem: Is the Crown Jewel Broken? · June 3, 2026 · 18 min
• Race Review | 2026 Canadian Grand Prix | 179 | George Pushed. Kimi Pushed Back. The Most Interesting Battle in F1 Right Now Isn't Between Teams. · May 29, 2026 · 56 min
• Race Notes | 2026 Canadian Grand Prix | 178 | 4 Wins, 1 DNF From the Lead & 2 Very Different Ferraris · May 26, 2026 · 19 min
• F1 General | Joe Unplugged | 177 | Making Sense of F1 History: How Do We Define the Eras? · May 20, 2026 · 49 min