Formula 1 lives on the eve of the first Miami Grand Prix, full of aesthetic references and pop culture fueled by beaches, palm trees and social life, and Miami Vice and Grand Theft Auto, combining sports and entertainment. Liberty Media is about to see a long-awaited dream come true: It was 2018 when the project to bring the first category appeared here, but since then circus ownership has had to overcome many logistical and bureaucratic obstacles. This race, however, wanted at all costs, to increase the presence in the United States as a strategist. Austin alone on the calendar is no longer considered enough, and we remember that in 2023 there will also be Las Vegas, another iconic city.
In order to land in Miami, F1 agreed to change the base of the event, passing from the Biscayne neighborhood to the Hard Rock stadium area, then designed to resist the resident fighters, concerned about the environmental and acoustic impact of the race, . The last case to stop everything, dismissed by the court, goes back only two weeks. The power units will be able to run.
“There has always been a small gap between the United States and the rest of the world, in the passion for this sport, but it is really amazing to see that we are doing it. Interest in the United States is growing, Miami will be an ‘experience for us, for the insiders, for the viewers,’” Lewis Hamilton commented As a guest on ABC’s popular Good Morning America After his defeat in 2021 by Max Verstappen, Mercedes’ standard-bearer wasn’t the crown prince, but his seven titles and popularity on social media still make him F1’s best transatlantic ambassador.
Miami International Circuit, that’s the official name, is a city track and has close walls, but it’s not too close: he probably forgives more mistakes than Monte Carlo or his dangerous grandmother. The track is 5,412 meters long, with 19 bends, and 58% of the travel time is at full speed. There will be three DRS regions and on the longest straight region, the peaks of which are expected to reach 320 kilometers per hour. “I tried it on the simulator and liked it a lot, there are corners and some special points,” said Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri rider.
It has nothing in common with the site that hosted Formula E in 2015, while between the ’80s and ’90s the streets of Miami were the scene of IMSA, IndyCar and CART races. It will obviously be ground-breaking for all but simulations, to add more spice to the challenge at the summit between Ferrari and Red Bull bred with the new, still immature, ground-impact cars.
Creating a fake marina for a yacht within the ocean, with a carpet of fake water, is certainly questionable. It might be effective for the cameras, but it shows exactly how to avoid it: forced viewing, risking one’s credibility and ridiculing the audience. It is true that we are running in cool Miami, but the sea is still about 12 km away where the crow flies and the track is already built in the parking lot of the stadium. But perhaps we forget it thanks to the amazing Grand Prix, and Formula 1’s plan to conquer the United States will find a little more life.
