MIAMI — Most South Florida drivers have probably been too busy weaving through traffic on I-95, the Palmetto and the Turnpike to notice that a Formula One race track the size of 59 football fields — 17 Eiffel Towers in length — is being constructed and nearing completion around the parking lots of Hard Rock Stadium.
And this isn’t just any F1 track. This is a Miami-Style Over-The-Top racetrack for the upcoming inaugural Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix May 6-8.
The original idea of a waterfront Monaco-like course through downtown Miami and over a bridge to the Port of Miami was nixed (as so many waterfront sports projects are — just ask David Beckham), so Dolphins owner Stephen Ross did what Stephen Ross does. He offered to open his checkbook and host the event at his less charming but more welcoming all-purpose stadium in Miami Gardens. He did the same for the Miami Open when the tennis tournament was forced out of Key Biscayne.
It won’t be as picturesque as it would have been along the turquoise bay, with gorgeous aerial camera views of cruise ships, the skyline and fans watching from yachts and sailboats. But Ross’ group is doing its best to replicate a waterfront ambiance at the landlocked venue.
In the center of the track, near turns 11, 12 and 13, will be a 24,000 square-foot beach club zone featuring a resort-style pool with luxury cabanas, bars and DJs playing music.
And that’s not all! A Monaco-inspired faux marina “Yacht Club” is being constructed — complete with about a dozen dry-docked yachts — on the infield of turns 6, 7 and 8. Some race patrons paid $38,000 for a four-person “Yacht Club” package, $19,000 for a two-person pass and $9,500 for a single.
Prepaid tickets for the Miami Grand Prix sold out in just 40 minutes, and resale sites are now offering grandstand seats at well over $1,000. Miami’s ticket prices are second highest of the 23 stops on the F1 circuit, behind Monaco.
Are you surprised? If ever there was a sporting event made for Miami, it’s an F1 race. This is a glamorous sport centered around life in the fast lane, big money, big egos, a global melting pot of racers, heartthrobs, politics, and drama. Lots of drama.
In other words, Miami!
The wildly popular F1 Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive”, in its fourth season, is a telenovela on steroids and has turned Americans — including me and my husband — into Formula 1 followers.
We went from knowing near nothing about F1 to being riveted by the rivalry between Great Britain’s Lewis Hamilton and Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen. We all of a sudden care about the inner workings of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren. We became fans of fun-loving Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo and enjoy seeing the scenery and following the traveling circus.
And we are not alone.
In 2018, F1 viewership was around 547,000. After the docuseries launch, it jumped by 18% to 672,000. By 2021, that had soared to 934,000 — a 54% increase. Americans, who historically favored NASCAR racing, are catching the F1 bug and the sport is noticing.
The circuit went from one U.S. venue, Austin, which drew 400,000 fans last year, to two with Miami. Las Vegas is being added in 2023. This will be the first year there are two F1 races in the United States since 1984, when they had races in Dallas and Detroit.
Miami’s 3.36-mile track will offer a street-style feel, similar to the Autodrome in Sochi, Russia.
It features 19 turns — eight right-handers, 11 left-handers — with three straightaways, the longest of which is just less than a mile. Predicted average lap speed is calculated at 134 mph and the back straight will produce speeds of just less than 200 mph. In other words, just a bit faster than the motorcycles zipping past you in traffic on Saturday nights.
The track itself is made up of 85,000 yards of asphalt that weigh a total of 24,000 tons. It is 50-feet wide in most places, but narrows to 32 feet at Turn 16, which runs under an expressway overpass.
The pit building, which is permanent, features 36 garages and a double-decker Paddock Club hospitality area.
Speaking of pit row, one of my most memorable experiences in sports journalism took place in the pits at the Daytona Speedway on Valentine’s Day weekend in 1988. I was a rookie reporter at the St. Petersburg Times, our auto racing writer was unable to cover the Daytona 500 that year, so they asked me to go cover Speed Week. I didn’t even know how to change the oil in my car, let alone understand why the new carburetor restrictor plate rule would change stock car racing.
But there I was, 22 years old, covering my first auto race, surrounded by gearhead journalists who knew everything about the sport. One of the basic tenets of journalism is to ask questions if you don’t understand something, so I walked up to a friendly-looking mechanic on pit row and asked him if he could explain what the carburetor restrictor plate does and why it was such a big deal.
He was more than happy to oblige, and even drew a diagram for me. I learned quickly that racing people were great to deal with and it was fun writing about Bobby Allison beating his son, Davey, down the stretch.
Another memorable day at a track was when I decided to do the race car driving experience at Homestead Motor Speedway. One problem: I had never driven a stick shift. Not to worry, the instructor told me. He would teach me on the spot. Which he did. I got into my racing suit, climbed into the car through the window (there were no doors) and got up to 140 mph on the straightaway. It was loud, and it was exhilarating.
Miami is in for some loud, fast fun in a few weeks. For those who can’t go to the track, Bayfront Park will be home of Miami Speed Week watch parties, fan activities, and autograph sessions with racing legends. Tickets start at $30 (miamispeedweek.com).
Buckle your seatbelts, Miami. Invest in some earplugs. Driving fast in the 305 is about to take on a whole new meaning.
