Miami is officially home to its own F1 grand prix. After several years of talk about bringing the sport to South Beach, Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1, and Tom Garfinkel, Managing Partner of the new race, put the Miami Grand Prix in stone when they signed the contract Sunday ahead of the Imola Grand Prix.
The Miami Grand Prix will be held for 10 years, starting in 2022. It will be hosted at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home to the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes. The venue hosts the Orange Bowl, hosted the Super Bowl six times and recently held Canelo's boxing match against Avni Yildirim.
This will be the second F1 grand prix in the United States, joining the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The idea of the Miami race has faced criticism from residents, citing noise violations and other concerns that officials seem to show disregard for the well-being of the community.
The 5.41 kilometer track for the Miami Grand Prix features 19 turns and three straights with potential for three DRS zones. It will wind around the stadium, along Snake Creek Canal and the Turnpike. F1 is also committing to work with local businesses and schools to make sure the community gets the most out of the event.
“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,: Domenicali said in a press release. "We will be working closely with the team from Hard Rock Stadium and the FIA to ensure the circuit delivers exciting racing but also leaves a positive and lasting contribution to the people in the local community.”
Miami is the perfect place for an F1 grand prix as it's already a hub for international entertainment and sport. The city hosts the Miami Open, regarded in the tennis world as one of the major tournaments that happens to not be a Grand Slam and used to be home to the Billboard Latin Music Awards. David Beckham's Inter Miami CF played its first MLS game last year and Pharrell just opened The Goodtime Hotel in the heart of South Beach.
Each of the F1 teams celebrated the announcement of the Miami Grand Prix with a video on Twitter, celebrating the vibrant diversity of the city.
Red Bull created a witty video showing its team on the beach in full jumpsuits and helmets.
McLaren had fun with it too, animating its drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in a Grand Theft Auto-type advertisement.
Aston Martin celebrated the Miami sunshine with a shoutout to its sunglasses sponsor Oakley.
Mercedes was kind of boring, opting just to repost F1's main announcement video with a few emojis. They really couldn't think of anything more clever? They didn't even have footage of Lewis Hamilton partying in South Beach? Mercedes, if you're looking to hire a social media assistant, hit my line.
Williams posted the same video, which is more acceptable from them.
Haas at least quoted the original announcement with some words of their own.
There is no set date announced yet for the Miami Grand Prix, although F1 said it is hoping to hold the race in the second quarter of 2022.
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