Out of the blue, Austin has become the home of the next United States Grand Prix. But can Texas win where Indianapolis failed? The man behind the project, Tavo Hellmund, thinks so. Adam Coooper talked to him

This week's announcement that the US GP will be held in Austin from 2012 came out of the blue. Many potential venues had been discussed since Indianapolis dropped out of the picture, but the Texan city had not been on the radar.

Only days before the announcement, the Monticello venue in New York State had made its interest public, and while the 'country club for car freaks' seemed an unlikely venue, it did at least exist. In fact, it seems Bernie Ecclestone had some time ago opted for Austin, and Monticello's indiscretion may well have pushed him into making an earlier-than planned-announcement on the official F1 website.

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