Before I launch into why Staten Island should embrace Grand Prix racing, I think it is important to take a step back and look at Formula 1 from a strategic point of view.

There are 20 Grands Prix these days and the geographical distribution is still skewed. To gain the maximum number of global TV viewers there should really be equal distribution between the four basic time zones: the Americas, Europe, the Middle East/Africa and Asia/Pacific.

At the moment there are two races in the Americas, eight in Europe, three in the Middle East (including Turkey), and seven in Asia/Pacific. In a perfect world there would be five races per time zone, which would mean three extra races for the Americas, three fewer races for Europe, two extra events for the Middle East and two fewer for Asia/Pacific. In this way each region would have access at sensible hours to 10 races, with the other 10 happening at less social hours. Creating enthusiasm for a sport needs more than one event in a region to get people to wake up in the night to watch other races. Looking at the Americas we have Brazil and Canada. We will soon have a race in Austin and I would be surprised if within five years we do not see a race in Mexico. A second race in the United States is thus desirable – and there is space for it on the ultimate F1 calendar.

Losing races in Europe is not easy, but the European GP is not healthy (and we don’t need two events in Spain) and Germany needs to watch out if it is not to follow the same route taken by France. Perhaps there is a logic in a European GP, either alternating between France, Belgium and Germany, or at a venue based on the same philosophy as the EuroAirport, which was funded by the French, Germans and Swiss.

The Middle East/Africa will almost certainly lose Turkey soon, but the addition of Moscow (thinking in time zones, not geographical blocks), Cape Town and Qatar would balance things nicely.

Losing two races in Asia will not be that hard as the Australians are beginning to bleat too much for F1’s taste, and the Chinese can go on spending forever, but why would they bother? Malaysia too is a little out of place now that it has been trumped by Singapore.

Anyway, it is clear from this that the place that needs the most work is the Americas and that is why it is no surprise to hear that there are discussions going for a second US event on Staten Island. I have to say that I agree with Bernie Ecclestone in that if Formula 1 is going to go back to the United States in a successful way, it needs to be somewhere other than in the middle of nowhere. Austin has an interesting reputation as a city. It has many of the things that have led to success at F1 venues in the past, and I hope that it will be good. But it is not the only answer for establishing F1 in America. That needs something with a bit more punch. Indianapolis was fine from the point of view of tradition and race fans, but in 2005 F1 failed to respect the very first rule of show business, forgetting that “the show must go on” no matter what happens. That mess was all about politics and no-one seemed to care about the fans. The real problem at Indianapolis was not, however, the 2005 debacle but rather the fact that the race could not be run at a profit, or at least not at a loss. The folks in Indiana made plenty of cash from the race, but the speedway did not.

The answer in Bernie’s mind has always been New York, but finding a venue has been a nightmare because of the US’s love of lawsuits and the lack of available land in the New York area. The key to success for F1 events these days is their ability to generate revenue for the locals as well as for the sport. This happens wherever Formula 1 goes – to a lesser or greater extent – but it is difficult to write such things in a way that keeps accountants happy. So when people in Melbourne say that the Grand Prix costs the city X per year, that is not strictly the truth. Yes, it costs X, but they got Y back and Y is very definitely greater than X.

In addition, the image of the city is broadcast all over the world, creating a good impression. That adds to the Y figure, but again one cannot be more specific than that. Just as an example, my Dad is not a Formula 1 fan. He went on holiday recently to Spain and I mentioned in passing that he should go and see the Santiago Calatrava buildings in Valencia, because they are spectacular. I only know about them because I went to Valencia to cover the F1 race. My dad went to Valencia, spent whatever he spent and he will tell anyone who cares to listen that he thinks the city is one of the most unexpected surprises.

So there is knock-on effect in all these things…

If Staten Island wants a role model to look to I can think of two or three straight away. The obvious example is Long Beach, which was a rough old place in the 1970s, filled with bars, hookers, dosshouses and sailors. The city wanted to tart the place up a little (if you see what I mean) and so the Long Beach GP was created and by the 1990s this had transformed Long Beach into a very glitzy place. Albert Park in Melbourne was a dump in 1985. I know because I went there. Today it is thriving urban park, full of life and sport and the whole Albert Park/St Kilda neighbourhood has improved dramatically. There are some protesters who think they are saving Albert Park, but the truth is that Albert Park was saved years ago when F1 moved in.

Finally, for an example of F1’s ability to sprinkle magic dust on a place, one needs only to look at Singapore, which for years was seen as dull, austere and authoritarian. Since F1 went there the place has acquired a completely new global reputation…

Staten Island is the least exciting of the New York boroughs, but there is no real reason why it should be. It has great natural advantages, notably that it is surrounded by water. Much of the shoreline offers spectacular views of New York City. But, there are no subway links, the traffic is bad and the trains are old. It is not glitzy nor glamorous. And yet there are miles of waterfront waiting to be rediscovered. New York City has no money for that sort of thing, and is cutting back in lots of areas, but the city is still growing. OK, perhaps it is optimistic to think that the Subway tunnel that was started in Brooklyn in 1923 will ever reach Staten Island. It was stopped after a few hundred yards had been dug and ever since there has always something more important to spend the money on. Still, there is still talk of that project being finished one day to improve the quality of life for those who live on the island, reduce traffic, and increase the flow of visitors and investment cash. Visitors would boost the economy. House prices would rise accordingly and so on… If one looks at the development that has gone on in the London docklands in recent decades one will understand what could happen on Staten Island.

The naysayers argue that the economy is bad, but this does not mean that private developers cannot be encouraged to invest in projects which will help kick-start the economy. The planners in New York clearly understand the potential in Staten Island. A survey was conducted in 2008 by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the New York City Department of City Planning, called “The West Shore Staten Island Land Use and Transportation Study”. This looked at the almost deserted western part of the Island, an area which is about half the size of Manhattan and discussed what could be achieved. Much of the land is vacant, notably the old GATX site, to the south of Goethal’s Bridge, where the International Speedway Corporation wanted to build a speedway on 676-acre site. That was a great idea because there is nothing there but an industrial wasteland. The opposition came from people complaining about congestion and ISC did not seem to understand that modern sports facility in urban areas do not have to rely on cars and can be fed by public transportation. The land in question is remote, has no housing but some wetlands that need protecting. Most of it is old oil storage facility. The land is still for sale because ISC’s buyers failed to come up with cash. The study reached no conclusions about the ISC land but highlighted that the whole western wide of the island should be redeveloped.

Elsewhere one can see discussions about a proposed West Shore Light Rail, being championed by the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, which would come up from the south of the island, pass the ISC land and then go north over the Bayonne Bridge and connect to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which is part of the New York transportation system. This would open up Staten Island to the eight million people who live in New York City, and the additional 10 million who live in the region. It would help Staten Island commuters enormously, provide potential for residential development of the western side of the island and bring people to events on Staten Island. It would also link up with a planned North Shore Light Rail which would run along the northern part of the island from the Staten Island Ferry, through an area where there are plans for a series of parks and docks, cafes, restaurants, markets and all the sort of stuff that attracts tourists. When you consider that the Staten Island Ferry carries 21 million people each year, many of them tourists, checking out the Statue of Liberty, but few ever bother to explore Staten Island, you can see the potential.

The defunct ISC plan is interesting in that one can see that a railway track runs right through the middle of the ISC land which could be used to transport people directly to a motorsport park development, which could offer not only racing but karting, driver training, corporate events and other such facilities.

It is worth noting that the original ISC proposal also included a high-end shopping complex, to be developed by The Related Companies, owned by Stephen Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, best known for its $1.7 billion Time Warner Center in Manhattan, so clearly there are investors who see a big future in Staten Island. But what attractions are there beyond that? Much work is already going on, particularly at the Fresh Kills Landfill, a few miles south of the ISC land. This is being transformed into a vast new park, which will bigger than Central Park when it is completed.

All things considered, there is a very good case for a motorsport facility on Staten Island – and a good chance that private investment could fund the idea.