The slow road to a Grand Prix in Miami

The history of F1 with the United States is long and marked by (a few) highs and (many) lows. The height of irony, it was in one of the temples of American motorsport, Indianapolis, that the discipline made a fool of itself with the infamous six-car Grand Prix episode.

At the beginning of the year, a lot of noise was made about a potential arrival of F1 in Miami, with a track even being revealed and meetings organized within the city council to bring F1 to the Miami port as early as 2019. However, this summer, a cold shower greeted the leaders of Liberty Media when the city council decided to postpone this plan, mainly due to opposition from the local population.

Despite everything, F1 is not giving up and has set up a new festival in the streets of the Floridian city to give a taste of what such a race could be like. Instead of a single day as had been done in London, Marseille, or Milan, an extended weekend of festivities is planned.

Thus, starting this Thursday, a ceremony will be organized in the very exclusive and private Supercar Rooms club, in coordination with the local specialist Exclusive Racing. This event for the happy few will have an impact on the ceremonial aspects of the discipline since it is here that the new anthem to be played on the podium will be unveiled.

During the weekend, a true Fan Village will be set up, with the broadcast of Saturday’s trials and then the race. But the highlight of the festivities will be the public demonstration on one of the city’s main arteries, Biscayne Boulevard, carried out by Red Bull and Renault on Saturday.

F1 has gone all out and invested in attracting this new market, as sources close to the matter have indicated an estimated $2.5 million committed to the entire event. However, it is not certain that this will be enough since local residents do not seem at all inclined to see the said Biscayne Boulevard blocked for weeks due to the construction work for the necessary infrastructure to host an F1 race.

Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that Miami is the venue for the Nascar championship finale, which is precisely trying to break into the city through this event. However, the dates mentioned so far for a Formula 1 Grand Prix coincide exactly with those of the American discipline’s event. It seems unthinkable that the two categories would engage in a direct confrontation, especially since some participants are involved in both programs.

If it is now certain that the event will not take place in 2019, it is far from sure that it will ever materialize, like New York’s stillborn project.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr