David Coulthard believes that for the return of the US GP to the F1 calender to be a success, Hermann Tilke must create an exciting circuit.
The German designer has come under criticism for a number of the tracks he has engineered of late, with many suggesting they don't aid exciting racing.
Formula One returns to America next year with the 2005 Indianapolis fiasco in which 14 of the 20 cars pulled out before the start of the race still fresh in the minds of many fans.
Coultahrd admits that the situation was far from ideal and feels a return to the USA was essential.
"It does [need a race in America] in order to call itself a true World Championship," he told Road & Track.
"To genuinely have a World Championship, it should be represented by as many countries as possible. I was very excited when it came back to Indianapolis and we had a great turnout, but then we shot ourselves in the foot with that tyre fiasco. To be honest, it had nothing to do with Indianapolis and the tyres; it was all politics. I remember I was on the radio saying, 'I'll start the race, I'll start the race'."
Under this backdrop, many Americans may be skeptical about the return and Coulthard believes the best way to win back the fans is by creating a track that will facilitate exciting racing.
"He's a touring car racer himself - he's raced at the Nürburgring - so you'd think someone like Hermann who's been around one of the scariest and most challenging racetracks in the world could come up with something a little more exciting," the Scot said of Tilke's creations.
"Turkey got it right [with] Turn Eight; it's bumpy with multiple apexes, [and] if you get the first one wrong, you have to bail out and you lose time. Malaysia is the first of the new tracks, and they have a few sweeping corners.
"You need overtaking and fast corners. The fast corners give the drivers the ride of their lives, and if the drivers speak positively about it, then the fans will be positive about it and want to check it out. They need it to be a driver's track. If you have a driver's track, people will talk about it and want to go there.
"I went to Watkins Glen earlier this year; I had heard of Watkins Glen but had never been there, so I drove the track and I thought it was the scariest place I had ever driven, but that's what makes you feel alive in a race car, isn't it? You need corners where drivers feel that they're really pushing the limits," he added.
