F1 back in Miami for another blast of showbiz in the sun | Giles Richards

aAs Formula 1 prepares for its first meeting of the year in the United States, it is Miami, the party city, that will play host to the latest in what has been a series of season-opening celebrations by Max Verstappen. Yet the Dutchman’s dominance has not deterred race organizers in Florida, who are convinced of the continued growth of F1’s popularity in the United States.

F1 is here for the third time and it is one of the meetings that F1’s owners, Liberty Media, wanted to promote when they took over the sport. An ‘event race’ in a destination city; a racing Super Bowl, an extravaganza where the show, the spectacle and the experience were considered as important as the cars on the track. Inevitably, the idea alone will terrify diehards in Europe, but F1 has room for a slice of showbiz alongside the stately classics.

The opening meeting, in 2022, had problems: the circuit was criticized by the drivers, while some fans were unimpressed by the organization of the event and the ticket prices. A lot of that was addressed for a more successful race last year, the fans certainly returned in the same numbers and with the same enthusiasm. If there had been real dissatisfaction they could have voted with their wallets, but the meeting is once again expected to sell out to a capacity of 90,000 people.

They can only hope that the Miami International Autodrome in 2024 will deliver the drama that has been lacking thus far. Verstappen has won four of the first five races this year (only denied in Australia due to a mechanical failure) and with little advantage over his predecessor. rivals in a dominant Red Bull. He has also won the past two races in Miami, including finishing ninth in 2023.

There is no indication he will be denied this time out as he looks on course for a fourth title, even as the team adapts to the news that their genius designer Adrain Newey will be leaving next season.

With the US hosting two more races, in Austin and Las Vegas, the lackluster battle at the front of the field could be seen as a concern for the sport’s growing popularity in the country. However, Miami GP president Tyler Epp insists the American fan base is far from fleeting. “We view this as history in the making,” he said.

“It’s one of the best car designs we’ve ever seen, with one of the best drivers we’ve ever seen, coming together and performing at an astonishingly high level. We have enormous respect for that.

“The younger, newer American audience still has some understanding of how relevant that is within the greater F1 ecosystem, but we will be there to try to help everyone understand that and will continue to advocate for great competition even as our we do.” watching history in the making with Max and Red Bull.”

It has been suggested that this audience, drawn to the sport by the Drive to Survive series, has only a passing interest and will soon be drawn to another flame. Epp convincingly argues that the real picture is much more complex.

The Miami GP conducts extensive surveys of fans to assess their performance, a process that some European GPs may find useful. Last year they dealt with almost 10,000 respondents who referred to parking, staff, food and drink, access, the view and the racing. This, Epp says, is about communicating with fans and it has been educational.

“It means really understanding who the fan is and where they are, and that the American F1 fan is not just one person or one type of fan. It’s segmented, just like any fanbase. We have to make sure we respect that.

“It’s a bit of a mistake to assume that the entire American F1 fanbase all came online to watch Drive to Survive during the Covid years. That’s simply not true. There are people in the US who have been watching F1 for decades and we should not forget those people.”

But what about the extraordinary success of the first Las Vegas GP last year? If Miami was the great American extravaganza, Vegas surpassed it under the lights of the Strip. So does the meeting feel pressured to adapt? Epp is unconcerned and believes F1’s success in Nevada is just further proof of the sport’s consistent growth in the US. “We look at this differently, we believe in the rising tide,” he said. “We believe other promoters are doing great work, so we support them.

“Las Vegas did a great job, it was a very Vegas-like experience. Overall, the experience for anyone who has been to both, or will go to both, is very, very different. They will say that racing is the only thing that is the same, as it should be.”