The Miami GP was far from a conventional Formula 1 weekend, but it may have been just the ticket to attract an entertainment-focused U.S. audience.
A few years ago, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, tried out something different for the United States Grand Prix. They hired extra publicity by installing a boxing promoter to introduce the drivers for that race. NBC’s pit analyst at the time, Will Buxton, would give interviews as they were coming out to the circuit. It got mixed reviews, most of them negative from outside the U.S.
Two weeks ago, Miami, Florida, hosted more of what Austin tried to do. The track went around the famous Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins football team. There was plenty of publicity, too, with lots of things for spectators to do. In other words, it was a show.
Did Miami overdo it? Can Miami improve things for the next nine seasons of their contract? The answers are a resounding yes.
For starters, it was widely reported that the event would lose money, which is not unusual in the first few years of the event. But the owner of this event, the president of the Dolphins, made this race “a football with helmets” fiasco, where the top three drivers wore helmets instead of hats, which is usually the normal situation.
In addition, the three podium finishers did not walk up to the podium. They were escorted by police motorcycles and dropped off at the podium. But perhaps the most significant talking point was the ‘harbor,’ an artificial waterway with real boats. This fooled some, including Sky F1 TV reporter and former Grand Prix driver Martin Brundle, who, on Friday practice, was standing as an onsite journalist at turn six, sweating from the hot and humid weather. He said, “There doesn’t seem to be any wind coming over from the harbor nearby, as the boats in the water are very still.” Well, they should be.
Brundle was also criticized for talking to tennis star Serena Williams, who was there as a friend of Lewis Hamilton, but who didn’t say much. Brundle himself mistook another celebrity for NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which made Brundle state later that he does not like doing pit walks.
But the real complaint was the race. Drivers did not appreciate the harsh and abrasive circuit, especially at turns 14 and 15, which carried them through a tight chicane and was challenging to maneuver.
The race was decided when Max Verstappen passed his Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc on the straightaway on lap nine, which did not entirely end the race as both Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris later got involved in an accident, which bunched the cars back up again under a safety car. But Leclerc’s tires were not good enough to catch Verstappen as the race resumed, and the Dutchman won his third race. Outside of that, the TV cameras focused mainly on a DRS train that was going on with six drivers fighting it out for the last three-point positions.
Miami, indeed, hosted a very entertaining event, but it could have gone a little bit less on the value of attracting people. The ‘Drive to Survive” soap opera attracted many audiences in the U.S. because of its entertainment value
Las Vegas, which has more of an entertainment value overall, will host a race next season when the U.S. will host three races–Miami and Austin plus on The Strip over the Thanksgiving weekend.
That’s entertainment galore. But this weekend, it’s back to a traditional circuit in Barcelona, Spain, for a siesta and, above all, a sangria. We need that.
