The 2012 calendar announces an United States grand prix, but doubts surround plans to build the circuit in Austin, Texas.
The organisers would delay the first race until 2013 and on his end Bernie Ecclestone has already stuck a deal with New Jersey for an urban race in 2013.
McLaren team boss still hopes Austin can go ahead and insists the F1 needs to succeed in North America.
"I think we need to make a success of North America," is quoted Martin Whitmarsh in Autosport.
"I hope, and I don't honestly know, I hope it is negotiation and posturing and only Bernie knows what is going on there. Bernie I hope, who is meeting them in the next few days, I hope they can come to an accommodation. America is the land of the automobile, you have NASCAR in the south, but F1 should really take America by storm. We should be committing to it, we should have a five-year programme so we can really develop F1. There is an appetite there I am convinced and we should make a massive success there," said Whitmarsh.
Martin Whitmarsh doesn't want to see another debacle in the US or it could definitely damage the image of F1.
"If we don't get there and don't make a success of it, yes," he added. "At Indianapolis we had a tire debacle there, but that was a different era. In fairness, it wasn't Bernie's fault, we had the governing body under-reacting to a critical problem we had there, and I hope and believe it would not happen any more. The fact is we have not made a success of North America. North America does not need us therefore we have to accept that we have to go there and make a success of it, whether it is there or in New Jersey we want to make a success of it."
The organisers would delay the first race until 2013 and on his end Bernie Ecclestone has already stuck a deal with New Jersey for an urban race in 2013.
McLaren team boss still hopes Austin can go ahead and insists the F1 needs to succeed in North America.
"I think we need to make a success of North America," is quoted Martin Whitmarsh in Autosport.
"I hope, and I don't honestly know, I hope it is negotiation and posturing and only Bernie knows what is going on there. Bernie I hope, who is meeting them in the next few days, I hope they can come to an accommodation. America is the land of the automobile, you have NASCAR in the south, but F1 should really take America by storm. We should be committing to it, we should have a five-year programme so we can really develop F1. There is an appetite there I am convinced and we should make a massive success there," said Whitmarsh.
Martin Whitmarsh doesn't want to see another debacle in the US or it could definitely damage the image of F1.
"If we don't get there and don't make a success of it, yes," he added. "At Indianapolis we had a tire debacle there, but that was a different era. In fairness, it wasn't Bernie's fault, we had the governing body under-reacting to a critical problem we had there, and I hope and believe it would not happen any more. The fact is we have not made a success of North America. North America does not need us therefore we have to accept that we have to go there and make a success of it, whether it is there or in New Jersey we want to make a success of it."