Why will Miami weekend change the rules of the game in Formula 1?

(Motorsport-Total.com) – In addition to Austin, where he has driven Formula 1 since 2012, Miami has now also been added to the racing calendar. Enthusiasm for the sport has perhaps never been higher in the United States.

The excitement is in stark contrast to years past, when Formula 1 struggled to find venues that fit the sport and piqued the interest of fans.

Especially since the third US race in Las Vegas has already been confirmed for 2023, there is little doubt about the Miami weekend, as there has been the prior first events in Formula 1 in recent years.

The interest from riders, teams, fans, media, celebrities, sponsors and the local community increased anticipation for the weekend to a level that can’t be seen even remotely in many other places.

Brown: Formula 1 in Miami is like the Super Bowl

According to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Formula 1 will once again set completely new standards for the future with this weekend in Miami. “I’ve never seen the level of sponsorship participation, activities, hospitality requests, celebrity requests at a Grand Prix,” he says.

“And that’s not just targeting my six years as CEO of McLaren, because I’ve been in the sport for 20 years. To me, it feels like the Super Bowl, and it’s the biggest event of the year. Everyone doesn’t. I just want to come to the actual Super Bowl to see the action.” , but also the halftime show, parties, and events are part of it.”

According to Brown, McLaren received twice as many hospitality requests as usual: “We are one of the teams with the most hospitality and it will be the greatest hospitality program we’ve ever had.”

Central Miami has been infected with Formula 1 fever

While Formula 1 has historically raced in places where the sport has made almost no waves downtown, considering the Grand Prix is ​​held a few miles away, the opposite is likely to be true in Miami, where the city is likely to be in the grips of Formula 1 1.

Shops, restaurants and bars embody the spirit of Formula 1, and custom pop-ups are already popping up all over the city, particularly in the South Beach area. McLaren is setting up a “Quick Shop” in a multi-storey car park there, which will provide car shows and entertainment during the Formula 1 weekend.

Perhaps the largest “acquisition in town” is being planned by cryptocurrency exchange and sponsor Mercedes FTX. FTX is transforming 15,000 square feet of oceanfront space on Miami’s South Beach into an electric beach-style entertainment venue — featuring concerts, exhibitions, NFT art galleries, fashion shows and a arcade.

Mercedes car show in South Beach

In addition, there will also be a Mercedes Formula 1 show car that will drive Ocean Drive up and down for a test drive in front of the fans. There is a lot of focus on increasing the impact and reach of Formula 1, rather than just getting people to sit in the stands along the track. It’s about making the kind of hype like the Super Bowl is in town.

© Motorsport Network (Kevin Herman)

There will be a big Formula 1 party in South Beach in Miami this weekend Zoom

“There’s only a certain number of people who can come to this race, so you have to do things like that to create that Super Bowl atmosphere. You have to get the people in and around the area involved.” , explains Louis Francella, Vice President of Partnerships at FTX.US.

“We’re getting a Mercedes test car to drive up and down two days in a row. Some of the people who see it will never get close to a Formula 1 car in their lifetime. I think it’s important that we do things like that to grow the fan base and amplify that through our partnership with Mercedes.”

“This will be the biggest activity that FTX has ever done and we are very excited about it because it brings everything together: art, culture, our partnership with Mercedes, cryptocurrency and technology. It will definitely be something not to be missed and to be left behind,” says Franella.

Formula 1 in the USA is not at its peak, but only at the beginning

For a major American brand like FTX looking to expand globally, the growth of Formula 1 and its presence in a city like Miami is a game changer. Avinash Dabir, Vice President of Business Development at FTX.US, believes that Formula 1’s decision to add Miami and Las Vegas to the calendar is the case because it will attract larger audiences in the future.

For this reason, the Miami Grand Prix is ​​not the culmination of Formula 1’s success in the US, but just the beginning of something much bigger. “What’s exciting about it is rebuilding the race from the ground up,” he says. “You have a chance to update it and attract new fans by introducing different things into the race.”

“I think the city of Miami also has the infrastructure to support that. There are nice hotels and restaurants and a beach and it’s a nice place overall, so it’s a very unique offering,” Dabber said.

“And I think Vegas has a lot of those qualities. And it seems very strategic how F1 chooses its locations and I hope and want it to grow.”

Zac Brown: The list of celebrities is much better than Monaco

The teams themselves feel Miami offers a good shot at Liberty Media’s work to push the sport forward in new and exciting ways. “It’s not just Miami, although Miami is a good example,” says Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.

“It’s all about what’s happening around us in terms of sponsorship interest and new routes coming up on the calendar. I think it’s a great time. You can see with Netflix, digital connections and streaming that it’s all good and positive. We see a lot of fans at the races on the weekends, which is so much fun. “.

For McLaren CEO Zak Brown, the weekend race in Miami and the way the sport has developed represents the start of an exciting few years after Formula 1 had no foothold in the United States.

“I don’t think there is any doubt that it will work,” he says of Formula 1 in the US. “Everything indicates that it is working properly.”

“We have more American sponsors than ever before, our fan base in the United States is growing fast, and our celebrity roster for Miami is unlike any I’ve seen, including Monaco. All of this is going to have this incredible momentum we have, keep building.” It is a nice. “