But the sparkling debut of Las Vegas last November was rated
as one of the best races of the 2023 season, and Circuit of the Americas in
Austin, Texas, is a stalwart event that caters to passionate F1 fans.
Miami was the big party when it debuted in 2022 but the
question is: Has its status fallen enough that Sunday’s race is simply just the
first of three events in what has traditionally been NASCAR country?
Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Grand Prix, acknowledged
ticket sales for the third running of the event have been “soft” but felt there
would be an uptick ahead of Sunday’s race. Epp believes the U.S. can handle
three events because they are so different.
“It feels like the decision to make this race about Miami
and everything that Miami has to offer was the right decision because it does
separate us from Las Vegas and Austin, and frankly Montreal and Mexico and all
of North America,” Epp said. “I still think we are a unique property. We’re the
first of the three, and we like our position there.
“The communication between the three races in the States is
good,” he added. “We haven’t seen the market softened directly because of
Vegas, at least we don’t think so, and we root for the other races in this
country to make sure the power of F1 continues to drive for the fanbase.”
Teams have praised the improvements Miami has made since it
debuted the 19-turn, 3.361-mile course in the parking lot of Hard Rock Stadium,
home of the NFL’s Dolphins. Team hospitality was moved onto the field last year
after the stadium went unused in 2022, and the entire track was resurfaced
ahead of the 2023 race.
The circuit has 11 pedestrian bridges, more than any other
on the F1 schedule, and the width of several bridges has been doubled to
improve foot traffic across the sprawling campus that is hosting concerts and
parties at the same time cars turn laps.
“If you compare where we are today, three years in from we
were at the beginning, it is an enormous change,” said Williams team principal
James Vowles. “This was a carpark, fundamentally, that they converted into a
top-tier Formula 1 track.”
Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton bristled when asked if
the addition of Las Vegas to F1’s calendar had “diminished” Miami’s status as a
see-and-be-seen event.
“Diminished? No, I think the sport’s got bigger here. It’s
got a lot more awareness,” Hamilton said. “Every city that I go to, people are
excited. It’s now a sport here in the States. Before, it was just an event that
arrived once a year. Now, we’re kind of a part of the culture here, which is
really, really cool.”
Max Verstappen won the first two races at Miami and, after
opening this season with wins in four of the first five races, is expected to
win again Sunday. His dominance has led to complaints about the competitiveness
of the racing, particularly at Miami.
Race organizers in March announced former Haas team
principal Guenther Steiner as a race ambassador. The popular Steiner from F1’s
docuseries on Netflix has enjoyed promoting the event. He doesn’t think the
circuit is a problem.
“The race track is a very good race track, it’s just that
sometimes some races are more interesting than other ones,” Steiner said. “If
you’ve got Max dominating the way he was the first two races, whatever I say to
(organizers), they cannot do anything about that.”
Red Bull departures?
McLaren boss Zak Brown said he expects more Red Bull
employees to leave the organization in the fallout from allegations of
inappropriate conduct toward an employee by team principal Christian Horner.
Brown’s assessment Friday followed news this week that
Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer and architect of Red Bull’s
championship-winning cars, will leave the organization in early 2025. Brown
said six months ago, he’d have been shocked to learn Newey would leave Red
Bull, but the Horner situation has led to an uptick in job applications
floating across the paddock.
“Given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year
and knowing Adrian pretty well, and he’s a very high-integrity individual, I’m
not surprised he’s moving on,” Brown said. “I think the stuff that’s going on
there is a bit destabilizing. he’s probably the first domino to fall, my guess
is not the last based on the resumés that are flying around.”
Horner was cleared of any misconduct by Red Bull’s parent
company and his accuser has been suspended. The employee has appealed Red
Bull’s decision and representatives have filed a complaint to F1’s governing
body on behalf of the employee.
Sainz future
Carlos Sainz Jr. is taking his time to find a seat for 2025
and denied reports he turned down an offer from Audi.
“That’s not correct,” Sainz said. “There are certain things
that don’t depend fully on myself and there will be some waiting to done. It’s
not like we are completely stopped and we are still in conversations with
people and advancing what we can advance.”
Audi is taking over the Sauber team, and current drivers
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are in contract seasons. Audi has already
signed Nico Hulkenberg of Haas as its first driver, which means only one seat
is still open.
Bottas was admittedly surprised by last month’s signed of
Hulkenberg after just the fifth race of the season.
“The timing is quite early and a little bit surprising, but
the driver market is starting to move, obviously, and it also kind of makes
sense. He’s German, and Audi has made it pretty clear that they want a German
driver, so it’s all good. Let’s see what happens next,” Bottas said.
Sainz is being replaced at Ferrari next year by Lewis
Hamilton. Sainz and Hulkenberg were teammates at Renault at the end of the 2017
season and in 2018, but Sainz has not wavered in that he won’t rush a 2025
decision.
Mercedes must replace Hamilton and there’s uncertainty
surrounding Verstappen’s claims that he is content at Red Bull. Verstappen’s
contract with Red Bull runs through 2028 but a fracture between Horner and
Verstappen’s father has given the perception that Jos Verstappen is trying to
negotiate an exit out of Red Bull for his son.
“The only assurance I have is that I want to take the right
decision. That’s why it’s taking a bit longer and I want to see all of the
options available before taking any decision,” Sainz said. AP
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