F1’s trip to Miami for inaugural race a money-losing success
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Grand Prix was hot, from the party scene to the weather, but it faced nearly impossible expectations.
The celebrity watching was top level, certainly for a motorsports event. There was Paris Hilton, using a portable fan to cool herself as she danced in front of the Mclaren garage on race day. Serena and Venus Williams holding hands as they navigated the pre-race grid in summer dresses. Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican entertainment icon, making a flashy entrance in an all-pink suit while hanging with Sergio Perez, Red Bull's Mexican driver.
There were tons of bells and whistles, too, from food halls, art installations, hammocks, chaise lounges to cabanas and a man-made beach. But did Formula One's debut in this sleek, cosmopolitan city measure up as a good event? That all depends on personal expectations. The expectations were so high, after all.
F1 wants to tap into the rich North American sponsorship market as the series' popularity has swelled over the last three years. The United States was given two F1 races this season for the first time
since 1984 and next year there will be three, with Las Vegas – the glitziest city of them all? – playing host.
Miami received a 10-year contract for its extravaganza at Hard Rock Stadium, where promoters built a 3.36-mile circuit through the parking lot and then went off the charts building the scene around it. Tickets never went on sale to the general public because of early interest and capacity was capped at 85,000 to create a
pleasant – and exclusive – customer experience.
The track weaved around the stadium, under an highway overpass and around a fake marina that featured 10 yachts and a mini-monaco backdrop. There were gondolas to ferry fans across the sprawling circuit, and a beach club that featured musical acts throughout the three-day weekend.
Many at this event were hooked on F1 by the Netflix behind-the-scenes docuseries “Drive To Survive.” Each episode covers an entire storyline – sometimes multiple races – and it's been credited for exposing the glamorous F1 world to Americans.
Netflix and F1 even waited for the series to arrive last week in Miami to announce “DTS” has been renewed for two more seasons.
The racing, alas, was just OK, 57 mostly uneventful laps on a track drivers did not like. Fernando Alonso said drivers complained to governing body FIA that “the tarmac is not F1 standard” and promoters twice had to repave portions of the track before Sunday's race.
The asphalt “almost feels like gravel,” said Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion who won for the third time through the first five races of the season. He also said the chicane was suited for a kart race and not an F1 car.
“In the four laps I did on Friday, I almost knocked myself out because I hit the first curb and your head just bounced from left to right, like at least five, six times, but really bad,” Verstappen said. “It's so slow and I think our cars look way better if it's a bit more of a flowing combination.”