The Miami Grand Prix cannot take place before 2020

The displayed willingness by the local authorities of Miami and the owners of Formula 1 was not sufficient to organize a Grand Prix in the city of Miami in 2019. Indeed, several difficulties have arisen to hinder the organization of the race next year. The owners of the sport have therefore decided that time was now lacking to allow the event to take place in 2019. However, all indicators are still green for holding a race for the following season.

The main reason for this forced postponement would come from the opposition of several groups of local residents who do not want a race to be organized in their city. Local politicians preferring to prioritize dialogue with the population, rather than organizing a Formula 1 Grand Prix next year at all costs.

The decisive meeting that was supposed to facilitate the organization of a race in 2019 was originally scheduled for this Thursday, but the submission of several resolutions forced the postponement of this session to September. The resolutions filed urge the governor of Florida and the state legislature to contribute financially to the race project. It had even been suggested at one point that the owner of the Miami Dolphins baseball club, Stephen Ross, wanted to fund the Grand Prix at least in part.

According to the F1’s commercial director, Sean Bratches, negotiations have progressed well in recent times but have proven to be more complicated than expected: « Over the past few months, we have worked determinedly alongside our promoter Stephen Ross from RSE Ventures, the city of Miami, and Miami-Dade County to realize our ambition to bring a Formula 1 Grand Prix to Miami, and we have made significant progress, but these are nevertheless complicated negotiations.

Bratches specifies that the project was indeed to organize a race in 2019 but that given the deadlines, it did not allow for a quality event to be organized: “While our preference would have been to race in Miami in 2019, there are deadlines to meet to offer the best possible racing experience to our fans, drivers, and teams, and that would not be possible within the time allotted to us. We have now reached this stage regarding the races in Miami in 2019.”

Before adding: « However, we adopt a long-term vision and, therefore, we have decided, in consultation with the authorities of Miami, to postpone the signing to later in the summer, with the aim of organizing the first Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami during the 2020 season. »

The American then explained that it was better to wait an additional year rather than sign at all costs: “We have always said that we would not compromise to offer the best possible race, for the residents of Miami, our fans, and the 1.8 billion people who watch F1 around the world each year, and if that means waiting until 2020, then it is much preferable than signing to race on a circuit that would not be optimal, just to do business.”

He further took the opportunity to congratulate local authorities on their collaboration: At each stage of this process, we benefited from collaboration and constructive cooperation with the city of Miami, Miami-Dade County, the Port of Miami, Bayfront Park management, residents, and businesses. Following these discussions, we listened and adjusted our plans, including regarding some elements of the route.

To conclude, Sean Bratches insists that this postponement is not a setback for the expansion of Formula 1 in the United States: “We are determined to continue our expansion in the United States and in Miami in particular, and we will succeed in bringing our fantastic sport to this iconic city in October with the Formula 1 Fan Festival, where we look forward to welcoming exciting and passionate fans.”

Regarding this festival, however, it should be able to be held in October starting this year, perhaps to convince the many skeptics of the merits of a race in Miami. This event is expected to take place in the Bayfront Park area, which is the ideal location to set up the Grand Prix circuit.