The President of the Miami Grand Prix acknowledged that he was wrong about holding sprint races in F1
F1. The Miami Grand Prix was one of the six rounds to host a sprint race this season, won by Max Verstappen. Very skeptical at the start, Tyler Epp, the Grand Prix president, admitted to being completely wrong about the addition of this format to his circuit.
Despite numerous criticisms, sprint races have been reintroduced this year with a new format. Now, sprint qualifying takes place on Friday afternoon after the first and last free practice sessions. This "mini-qualification" then sets the grid for the sprint race on Saturday morning, before the usual qualifying session that determines the starting grid for the Sunday race. These changes have not really won over all the drivers, some wanting to return to the old format, like Valtteri Bottas, while others simply prefer to eliminate sprint races altogether, like Lance Stroll. Conversely, some believe that the introduction of sprint races is a good idea, as Tyler Epp does.
The President of the Miami Grand Prix explained that he was wrong to question the sprint race format, considering that the one held in Miami has provided entertainment, especially due to the multiple collisions on the first lap involving Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, and the two Aston Martins, as well as the many on-track battles, such as the rather physical one between Magnussen and Hamilton, which led to a penalty for the Danish driver.
An increase in attendance on Saturdays
« I was wrong about the sprint race, I was very concerned about the value proposition, but I couldn't have been more wrong », he told the media, including Autosport.
« I want to make it clear that I did not share this view when we concluded the agreement, but the feedback and data we obtained showed that, from one year to the next, our attendance was increasing on Saturdays, and people were there early for the sprint race. » Despite his initial skepticism, Tyler Epp acknowledges that a sprint race in Miami has ultimately given even more visibility to the Grand Prix and that fans are increasingly enjoying coming around the circuit. That's why Miami is once again one of the six circuits that will host a sprint race in 2025.
When we look at the scans of the tickets and the data, they did not come for the qualifications, they came for the sprint race. I was wrong, this has been a very, very good thing for us. I understand that this was not the case for all promoters, but we really appreciated and saw real commercial value in hosting a sprint race, it was fantastic for us. Epp therefore wants to take advantage of this popular fervor around the race weekend in Miami to bring in other motor disciplines, something that has already been introduced this season with the F1 Academy, a championship exclusively for female drivers.
Additional data for the organization
For Tyler Epp, these events are not just there to add even more spectacle for the spectators, but they are also essential to prepare better conditions for the F1 races, which always take place last. « It is important to know what is happening on the track before Formula 1. The first year, it was very clear that no one should go on the track before them because they wanted to be the first on the new track. »
« During the third year, the support races were a success for us, putting Porsche on track and the F1 Academy was very positive. From our point of view, we are very committed to two support series, and we expect to have a similar range next year. » In 2025, Miami therefore hopes to again host all these disciplines and the circuit president believes to have learned a lot since the track's appearance on the calendar in 2022, especially on things to improve to make the event even better for the drivers and the fans.
« We learned a lot during the first two years, we face challenges and mistakes with honesty, we try to tackle them thoroughly. From the second year to the third, it was simply about small adjustments, and for the fourth and fifth years, I think it is just as important to listen to our customers - we have put a lot of emphasis on this in the past 12 months. » With the renewed sprint race in Miami, spectators will once again be able to attend two races in one weekend. For this, a little patience will be required as the Miami Grand Prix will only take place from May 2 to 4, 2025.
