RaceFans’ American correspondent RJ O’Connell gives his verdict on Formula 1’s return to Miami for its second grand prix.
Thursday
I arrived in Florida early in the morning not sure what to expect out of Formula 1’s return visit to the Miami International Autodrome and the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins, besides a unique spectacle.
While the circuit layout hadn’t changed, bits and pieces around it had – including the space in which I worked. The media centre was relocated to a different portion of the football stadium in Miami Gardens, within the executive suites and press boxes overlooking the stadium pitch.
By sheer luck that I ended up reserving seat ‘F1’ before anyone else! But having classic arcade game machines from my childhood in there was something of an occupational hazard. The temptation to abandon all responsibility to RaceFans and spend all day playing NFL Blitz was strong, but I resisted the urge.
Instead I settled for watching some drivers perform a football skills competition with members of the Dolphins team. This was within the new Team Village, with hospitality units occupying the pitch of the stadium and a constant stream of activity from there, to the garages, and back. Everything was washed in the typical tropical deco colour schemes that are almost a stereotype of Miami culture.
The afternoon was spent in the drivers’ press conferences and in media availabilities with world champions and grand prix winners. In one of those individual sessions, I put a question to Lewis Hamilton concerning the event which had nothing to do with the race itself but was as important to me as any other standard-issue question asked about cars sitting in dirty air and tyre strategies – if not more so. You can read his answer here.
With my tasks finished, I drove back towards the airport to check in to my home away from home, a studio room with all the amenities – a comfortable bed, a warm shower, and mango trees.
Friday
After pulling an all-nighter the day I flew into Miami, the late start to Friday’s events graciously afforded me the ability not to set an alarm and sleep until I was rested.
I arrived at the sight of a huge group of videographers and photographers gathered together to capture every image of every pop-culture icon that would appear. Realising what was going on, I strutted through the entrance gate like I fitted the part.
The first trip I wanted to take before the Friday crowds passed through the gate was a walk down to ‘MIA Marina’, the infamous ‘fake marina’ of last year which now has real water! Not the puddles of standing water that had accumulated on the water-patterned carpet, but the new swimming pools for the guests.
The brutal South Florida heat and humidity, even in May, made it important to drink plenty of water as I roamed around the public spaces and up into the grandstands to see what the people who paid a not insignificant chunk of change for tickets – excluding concessions! – would see once cars were on track.
In general, the on-track action I observed through both free practices was good. Taking on board drivers’ feedback about the Tarmac not being up to standard last year, the race organisers resurfaced the circuit which made it noticeably faster. But grip was still at a premium, and non-existent off the developing racing line.
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I enjoyed some tacos from a local taqueria, furnished at no cost to the guests of the paddock, an iced coffee, and then went to the team principals’ conferences. I had the desire to ask the same question to these team leaders and stakeholders in the sport that I did to Hamilton the day before. It’s awesome that he did answer – but one driver alone shouldn’t tackle these issues by himself.
In the evening I got to sit with Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows and Pirelli F1 chief engineer Simone Berra as they discussed this weekend – and in Fallows’ case, the road map for Aston Martin’s future. Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries meanwhile looked like they’d be set for another difficult week, even with the upgrades to their AlphaTauri cars, but appeared to be taking it in their stride.
It could be worse – they could have had to endure the same agonising gridlock along Interstate 95 heading back to my room that I did!
Saturday
This time I was up bright and early and at the track with a keen eye to ride the cable cars that travel from east to west over the circuit and campus. While I can’t show you the footage due to F1 broadcasting restrictions, seeing the cars drive past while the gondola descends to the exit of the ride creates a fantastic cinematic shot.
I also wanted to check out the new Team Clubhouse, which bridges the paddock to the Team Villages and offers even more food and beverages from local establishments, activations from American television broadcaster ESPN, grafitti art, and screen-printing.
While down in the media pen capturing the reactions of the drivers who’d been eliminated from the first and second stages of qualifying, myself and the other journalists gasped at the sight Charles Leclerc’s second crash of the weekend, which brought and end to qualifying’s final stage.
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Most significantly for the race to come, it prevented Max Verstappen from setting a lap time after he’d led every practice session. With due respect to the top driver in the sport right now, his misfortune did shake the grid up and created the prospect of an exciting race to come.
I was pleased to see Leclerc afterwards, following his chat with the media and off the back of such a tough shift at the wheel, signing autographs for a young, excited child on his way back.
The evening conversation with McLaren drivers Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and new team principal Andrea Stella was also refreshing, even for a team which went from looking like a top-ten threat on Friday to down in the doldrums on Saturday with a double Q1 exit.
By the time I returned back to my quarters, I got a text saying rain was on its way. I slept peacefully through the night, unaware of the monsoon-level rain washing away all that precious, grippy rubber that had been laid over the preceding 36 hours.
Sunday
The morning of race day filled me with a sort of cautious optimism.
As expected, anyone who was anyone could be seen roaming throughout the Team Villages, the Paddock, and any other prominent areas. Legends of motorsport and un-motored-sport. Billionaires and business moguls of various levels of influence and integrity. Pop-culture icons and new media influencers. Monaco, on the other side of the Atlantic. A slice of the glamour of Miami Beach dropped right into the working-class neighbourhood of Miami Gardens.
The quality of the race which followed was a talking point among the RaceFans team – more on that coming here later. I felt the race was fine in a vacuum: far from a classic, far from the worst. But it’d be understandable to feel like this race fell way short of the hype and pageantry behind it.
Verstappen drove brilliantly from ninth on the grid to win on an alternate strategy to his team mate. It just felt like there was no suspense behind it. That’s what pairing an elite driver with a great chassis and power unit will do. Sergio Perez, bless him, drove well – just not well enough.
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What I found amazing was the backlash towards the new, pre-race driver introductions ceremony. The drivers’ disdain was a bit more understandable, as they had to stand in their full overalls through it for longer than they wanted to in the warm weather. But I was amazed by the public reaction against this piece of American sports pageantry.
I can’t recall the driver intros for the Indianapolis 500, the NASCAR Cup series races at Bristol Motor Speedway, every race of the Super GT Series where one of its drivers recently dressed up as a cartoon bear mascot for the occasion – ever being this universally disliked.
There are criticisms to be levelled at Miami as a grand prix venue: The prohibitive prices of admission, the disruption of daily life in the area – and of course, the ever-growing rollbacks of civil liberties in the state of Florida wherein the city and the race resides. Was the pre-race show really the defining example of the event’s shortcomings?
The race proceeded without any major incidents, everyone made it to the chequered flag safely and most gave good accounts of their weekends afterwards. There were feelings of satisfaction from some, and dejection from others.
For better or for worse, Miami is the archetype of what F1 is now and aspires to be in the future. I came away feeling like everything behind the scenes was better organised and that there is the foundation of an event that can be a staple of the F1 calendar. And despite fears and the ludicrous prices, the event’s attendance was better than what isolated shots of empty stands in practice and qualifying would let on.
This race has potential. But it’ll be tough. Circuit of the Americas has a more pure atmosphere as a permanent racing venue which creates a better fan experience. And now with Las Vegas on the horizon, Miami’s domain as F1’s metropolitan race in America will not be exclusive any more.
But despite it all, I enjoyed my time here. I just wish it didn’t overlap with unprecedented times in American society.
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