Miami Grand Prix: Podium Example

Racing in Monaco was almost always boring, which didn’t bother anyone. Ecclestone used this stage to sign contracts, he did not take money from the organizers, but invited future partners and sponsors to the most luxurious place on the Cote d’Azur, and even the weekend schedule was five days – from Wednesday to Sunday, to fully enjoy the charm of this beautiful place.

The teams’ yachts, the partners’ yachts and the ‘powers that be’ – the glamorous gathering flowed from one to the other. Ordinary fans were not allowed in, but for them there was a stage every twenty meters, a live band or a DJ was working, beer flowed like water – in the morning the condition of the track left something to be desired. But the holiday feeling didn’t go away. This “race Paris” was worth a mass.

Liberty Media’s new Formula 1 owners are not interested in racing in Monaco. From this year, the weekend in the Principality will last three days, there will be noticeably fewer yachts in the Ligurian Sea and the ACM organizers will have to look for money to pay for a new contract. However, the popularity of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc will keep the podium on the calendar.

The American championship hosts have different values. Narrow streets don’t match their scale. There is no airport in Monaco, just a helipad and large hotels, and spending every day on a trip to Nice and back is not comme il faut. That is, “It is not right.”

The analogue of Monaco for Liberty Media will be the stages in Miami and Las Vegas – the embodiment of the American dream. And the track configuration, built in the parking lot around the stadium, doesn’t really matter to them either. The sporting aspect is not important. A good view is important, comfortable lodges, a nice TV picture and yachts have a mooring.

As the weekend progresses, everyone will be praising the new frontier Liberty Media has taken – it’s the first leg of the calendar they’ve organized themselves. Ecclestone began negotiations with the rest of the recent debutants.

Like Bernie in Monaco, Liberty Media will not take a lot of money from the promoter of the Miami Grand Prix. And next year in Vegas, Formula 1 itself will be the promoter.

Let’s see how the next American race will turn out in the parking lot of the supermarket around the stadium. America has hosted 60 Grand Prix on ten different tracks, but only the podium in Austin has taken root and even there they can’t handle the asphalt. The circuit in Miami will be the 11th.

The race in Imola left the most vivid emotions. Crowded bleachers. Friday morning, when everyone said only Ferrari found tires in cold weather, then three defeats in a row by the Scuderia – in qualifying, sprint and in the race. For the tifozi. This result at the rivals’ home circuit gave Red Bull even more optimism.

Before the start of the weekend, the Scuderia’s advantage looked comfortable, but the new rules allowed Red Bull to win back 38 points from Ferrari in one go – for first place in the sprint, best lap and victory in the race. They brought some lighter parts, which allowed to reduce the weight of the car, prepared aerodynamic innovations – and took the initiative.

The Ferrari car wore more tires and was inferior in speed, and the drivers made mistakes. Yet the podium on the home track is sometimes too emotionally colored.

There will be few new products in Miami. Difficult logistics, “exhibition” character of the stage, but in two weeks in Barcelona there will be something to see. In February, the teams there conducted tests and collected a large amount of data, and although conditions were different then, they will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of new products.

Ahead of an interesting weekend in Miami with an overnight schedule ahead of us! Stock up on coffee!