In an exclusive interview with Racing News 365 Miami Grand Prix managing partner Tom Garfinkel and CEO Richard Cregan spoke about the popularity of Formula 1 in the United States. “I think Formula 1 is doing a great job promoting the sport in the United States,” Garfinkel begins by explaining the growing interest of American fans in Class One motorsport. “It’s not like you turn on the TV, watch Formula 1 and instantly understand the sport. There’s a lot going on in F1 for that. That’s why the Netflix series Drive to Survive has played such a big role in the growth of the number of American F1 viewers.”
“In addition to the Netflix series, I believe that by organizing GP in America we will also play a major role in the popularity of Formula 1. We are the second F1 race of the year, after GP on track. From Austin. In the future it will be good to see more Formula races. One in America, that would be great,” said enthusiast Garfinkel, who is also the CEO of the Miami Dolphins (American football team). “Our race will take place in May next year and we hope to welcome about 80,000 fans. We will then work with a limit so that we can give everything to the fans.”
As with the Grand Prix in the Netherlands, Miami is also working with private parties to organize the race. “The race is funded by third parties, and we receive no financial support from the government. However, the cooperation with local authorities is excellent,” explains Garfinkel, who works closely with Kerrigan. The CEO of the GP can’t wait for the racing weekend to arrive in 2022.
“We have created a circuit where drivers can race in a flow, but at the same time there are plenty of opportunities to overtake. We have created the circuit together with Apex Circuit Design, a party that we developed in collaboration with the F1 Foundation.” Logistically everything is well organized. We are close to the Miami Dolphins stadium and they organize their games easily without traffic problems, with 80,000 people in the stadium.”
“The circuit is located between two highways, which ensures that everything is going well from a logistical point of view. We have been working extensively on the logistical challenges of the circuit, because we want the client to have a great weekend. We have also done that with regard to ticket prices and will provide This list is coming soon. Anyway, we noticed that there is a lot of interest in the event. That’s why we will try to serve each target group as much as possible and there will be different types of tickets,” Kerrigan said.
Despite the fact that two Formula 1 races are not usually held in a country, Garfinkel does not feel that the Austin and Miami races should be viewed as rivals. “It’s great to see that there are now two races in the F1 calendar and hopefully more GPs in America will follow. We are not at all rivals for Austin, for example because we attract a different target group and therefore don’t oppose each other. It is especially good for America that You see that many Formula One races want to add.”
Kerrigan adds that the city of Florida will also benefit from Formula 1 racing on the streets of the tourist resort: “Miami is known globally and therefore a lot of fans will come from outside America. This is not only good for our event, but of course also for the city, which is why we are pleased to be on the F1 calendar. for the next ten years.”
The Miami Grand Prix is scheduled for the weekend of May 8 in 2022 on the provisional Formula 1 calendar.
