The Secrets to Building an Award-Winning F1 Grand Prix? Hint: It's Not the Racing

Rodrigo Sanchez, a promoter and architect credited with helping relaunch major Formula 1 weekends in North America, says the “stage” of an F1 grand prix is largely beyond a promoter’s control—drivers, track and race-day spectacle run the show. His focus is everything outside the racing itself, from land-scale logistics to the operational details that turn huge venues into workable events. Sanchez was instrumental in bringing the U.S. Grand Prix to Circuit of the Americas in 2012 and in helping the Mexican Grand Prix return in 2015, when the race won F1’s Promoter of the Year award five straight years (2015-19). His journey began with unusual entry-level work using a fake “hot pass” in 2002.