Paul Jeffrey
Premium
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"
“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!
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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!
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