Miami GP to join F1 calendar from 2022 in 10-year deal
There will be two Formula One races in the United States next year with the new Miami Grand Prix added to the calendar from 2022.
Next year’s race will be the first in a 10-year deal and is in addition to the existing grand prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
“We are thrilled to announce that Formula 1 will be racing in Miami beginning in 2022,” F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said on Sunday.
“The USA is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our growing reach in the US which will be further supported by this exciting second race.”
The exact date of the race has yet to be confirmed but Domenicali said it would be in the “second quarter of next year.”
It will be the first-ever F1 race in Miami and the first in Florida since 1959. It will take place at a new circuit in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
“It’s always interesting to go to a new place where we’ve never driven before and Miami is a great city,” Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said shortly before winning Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. “I’m sure if they build a good track, we can have a lot of fun out there and hopefully we’ll bring a lot of excitement.
“I’m always happy to be in America, it gives you that kind of feeling that anything is possible, so I’m just excited to go there.”
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross made his stadium a multi-sport venue. The home of the Dolphins, University of Miami and Orange Bowl has been the site of Super Bowls and college national championship football games. It also hosts soccer, and in 2019 became the home of the Miami Open tennis tournament.
Ross had sought a Formula One race in Miami for nearly three years.
The circuit itself will be 5.41 kilometers (3.36 miles) long and will feature 19 corners and three straights, with an estimated top speed of 320 kph (199 mph). Hard Rock Stadium will sit at the heart of the track.
“We have worked with specialist designers to create a racetrack that we, Formula 1 and the FIA believe will provide great racing and we hope to create best-in-class unique fan experiences that are reflective of the diverse and dynamic nature of Miami,” said Tom Garfinkel, vice-chairman, president and CEO of Hard Rock Stadium. “When we looked at the Hard Rock site we basically had a blank sheet paper to work (on) with designers, to work with Formula One, to put together a race track that is dynamic.”
Entire article:
https://apnews.com/article/miami-sports-europe-florida-austin-texas-be0f12ccd0497ef91f518f6d5b952f32
Formula 1′s expansion in the U.S. is in motion, now it needs a star American driver
But the next step in F1′s U.S. play could be essential.
“If I’m the CEO of Formula 1, I’m doing all I can to get an American driver in the seat and successful,” Lencheski added.
Lencheski served as CEO of sports and entertainment marketing firm SKI & Company before selling the agency in 2008. The company formulated F1 sponsorships.
He said for F1 to market effectively market in the U.S., having a native driver would be critical in a sport fueled with nationalism, as it travels worldwide.
Currently, there are no American drivers in F1. Michael Andretti’s father, Mario Andretti, is the most successful American driver to dominate F1, winning the 1978 championship.
And Gene Haas’ F1 team is the only American team in F1 but has no American drivers, something U.S. drivers long ago noticed.
Entire article:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/21/for...tion-now-it-needs-a-star-american-driver.html
