Miami GP Set to miss 2019 F1 Schedule

[Paul Jeffrey]

The USA looks likely to have to wait for at least another year for a second Grand Prix, as plans to bring Formula One to Miami in 2019 hit a new roadblock.

Formula One has long courted the idea of a street race in the United States, with several seemingly promising projects having fallen by the wayside in recent years until the recent Miami Grand Prix proposal started to take shape, gathering enough momentum in recent months to lead the Liberty Media group to strongly suggest a place on the 2019 Formula One schedule was highly likely - until yet further delays and obstructions have lead the sport to confirm plans for a race around the streets of the city have been postponed, with event organisers looking for a rescheduled 2020 slot on the Formula One calendar.

“In the last few months we have worked diligently alongside our promoter Stephen Ross of RSE Ventures, the City of Miami and Miami Dade County, to realise our ambition to bring a Formula 1 Grand Prix to Miami, and we have made significant progress: however, these are complicated negotiations" said Sean Bratches, Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula 1 today.​

“Whilst our preference would have been to race in Miami in 2019, there was always a point by which delivering the best possible wheel-to-wheel racing experience for our fans, drivers and teams wouldn’t be possible in the time available. We have now reached that point as far as racing in Miami in 2019 is concerned.

“However, we are taking a long-term view and as a result, we have decided, in consultation with the Miami authorities, to postpone sign-off until later in the summer, with the aim of running the first Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix in the 2020 season"​

It is thought that the required approval from residents of the Miami region have yet to be secured, with potential further negotiations having been proposed for the City Commission meeting this week having now been deferred until a later meeting in September, pushing the timescales to be ready to receive Formula One in 2019 too tight to guarantee the level of preparation required for such a major event in the city.

“We have always said that we wouldn’t compromise on delivering the best possible race, for the people of Miami, our fans and the 1.8 billion people who watch F1 globally every year, and if that meant waiting until 2020, then that was far more preferable than signing off on a sub-optimal race track, just to do a deal" continued Bratches.​

“At every stage of this process we’ve enjoyed positive collaboration and co-operation with the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, Port of Miami, Bayfront Parks Management, residents and businesses. As a result of these discussions, we have listened and adapted our plans, including elements of the track layout.​

Despite the setback for prospects of a race in Miami, Bratches did go on to confirm that a proposed "fan festival" in October this year is still set to go ahead as planned, with both Liberty Media and backers of the event keen to showcase to the city the potential of Formula One in the USA, and win over those vital votes of confidence required to be able to put together what could well be a spectacular sporting event.

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Do you think a race in Miami will happen by 2020? Are you excited at the prospect of Grand Prix cars racing on the streets at a new venue in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!​

 

[formidable]

Other pointless street circuit? No, thanks.

 

[NtsParadize]

Great

 

[By-Tor]

Street racing *rolls eyes*

 

[Nick Hill]

Speaking on the behalf of myself and the other 3 F1 fans residing in the US, I don't care if they run the cars around some county roads through cornfields, I would just be happy to have another race!

As far as the venue goes, Miami is a very weird place - and I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean it's kind of an unusual city that defies many/most stereotypes people maintain of the USA. In that sense, I think it's an excellent choice of venue - you are looking to bring a (second) race to a country where the average resident could care less about said race, going to a city where "average residents" are few and far between, that may be a genius idea.

I know nothing about the proposed layout, but Miami could potentially provide a stunning backdrop for a race.

 

[COTA Fett]

Can Miami residents vote to have the event in Daytona? Could you imagine if a modern F1 car ran the road course at Daytona?

 

[Bonehead]

I live in Sebring, Florida and having them at this track or even the Miami Homestead track would be far more interesting. As mentioned above... Daytona is also a great venue.

 

[iksmean]

What's with all the anti-street circuit sentiment? The layout they proposed was total garbage so on some level I'm glad we probably won't see that abomination. But, street circuits can be some of the greatest circuits in history, like Surfers Paradise, Monaco, Montjuic, Pau, and Macau. They just need a proper city and layout.

 

[BP]

Living in the Caribbean, I welcome the idea of a Miami GP only because it's the closest chance I'll get to being able to afford seeing one in person...however I do agree that the design needs some work.

 

[stbreaker]

I guess the Bernie days have left me feeling cynical. I always think that these proposals are just ploys to try to scare COTA (or some venues at risk) into better deals for the management group. I never thought that NY/NJ race was real either.

At least now they are just talking about the threats rather than straining regional economies building the places and using them for like 2 years (See India and Korea).

 

[Knoxstar]

As someone that has been to many street races (Toronto Indy) and road races (Mosport and Watkins Glen) there is a world of difference for the diehard fan. First, are the miles of barriers on barriers that impede your view. The courses often tend to be a lot of 90 degree corners that are 2nd gear. They are most often narrow with little undulation compared to the likes of Spa, Mosport, etc. and for me lack the "wow" factor like watching a F1 car blasting around Silverstone.

I'll agree there are exceptions like Azerbaijan. The prospect of a race in Miami being delayed will not hamper my sleeping schedule.

 

[Nick Gregory]

Judging by the proposed layout, it should miss every year after too.

 

[wombat999]

In no particular order, Detroit (Grey and lifeless), Phoenix (Dusty and boring), Dallas (1984 It melted!), Las Vegas (Strictly speaking a car park!) and Long Beach (Good until the layout was altered) the 'Rich Heritage' of street circuits in the US doesn't exist.
Miami itself is an interesting city, so here's hoping the sudden rush of stupidity ceases.

 

[Enthilzha]

I'm not even sure that a generally non-F1 country like the US should be getting a second GP. None of the big F1 nations; Italy, Germany, Britain, Brazil etc get to have more than one and there are plenty of countries with real passion for F1, great history and wonderful circuits that aren't being used at all, so why should the US take an extra slot?

 

[Zuffenhausen Weiss]

Other pointless street circuit? No, thanks.

Except, this one has lots of history dating back to the 1980s

 

[Andrew Harper]

I think this was always a bit of a no-go idea. Interesting concept and I think it probably got to quite an advanced stage but will be interesting to see how things develop over the next twelve months.

The teams and drivers would never agree to it but I would love a traditional street circuit. Bumpy, dusty. One that would test drivers as well as cars. Baku is nice but it's snooker table smooth.

I always thought the idea of a New York or Las Vegas street race sounded quite good. Las Vegas at night would look pretty spectacular I would imagine.

There are some awesome race circuits in the US but as we all know for them to run F1 races they would have to be altered so much to make them FIA friendly the circuit would be destroyed. So I'd rather they were left alone.

 

[Turk]

I think part of the problem for F1 is it started out and became popular as a spectacle, people with little to no understanding of the sport went to see people risk their lives to drive the fastest cars in the world and also in large part to see spectacular crashes.

F1 isn't a spectacle anymore, those type of "fans" are gone and they won't be coming back. There are faster cars driving around cities these days. I think they need to focus on the sport or they end up losing the remaining fans that enjoy the actual sport.

 

[NDG]

Other pointless street circuit? No, thanks.

I think you have Monaco in mind? I maybe wrong though. But if this Miami track can have the same crazy results that we get from Baku, without the corruption shenanigans, then I'd say yes! yeah?

 

[F1Aussie]

Good, don't want another Mickey mouse crap track, keep it for formula E.

 

[Terry Rock]

As a fan of this sport since 1971, I can tell you I don't want more street courses...strictly on the basis of safety alone.
I remember a time in F1 where drivers died needlessly after hitting Armco placed too close to the racing line, because no other options existed with regard to crowd safety.
Stewart and a few other drivers lobbied 'hard' to move walls back, create bigger runoff areas and in some cases move races to safer venues. I remember that time well.
Let us not go back there again.
Although the crash structure of modern cars has gotten a lot safer as a result of composite technology and we haven't suffered any major deaths of late as a result of (DCIO) direct contact into obstacles, doesn't mean we should tempt fate.
Airborne open cockpit crashes into catch-fencing...the likes of which the'll have to use in a Miami course, negates those technology gains.
It adds an extra element of danger to drivers and spectators alike, which history and the 'pain' of past lessons have plenty of data on.
Spa and Monza...fast as they are, offer drivers 'outs' for mistakes with lots of runoff.
Look at the fence placement where there is some on those circuits.
Its located in places where you have very, very little chance of contacting it.
Miami will not have the ability for such placement.