Paul Jeffrey
Premium
The off and on again saga of a Grand Prix on the streets of downtown Miami appear to have finally come to an end, but the region remains keen to find alternative accommodation for Formula One in the near future.
For the last year or two a proposed Grand Prix on the streets of Miami has been something of a point of debate within Formula One circles, the idea having first gained traction under the watchful eye of Bernie Ecclestone before having come firmly onto the radar of Liberty Media and the current Formula One management group.
Initially planned to be held as a fast street circuit on the public roads of downtown Miami, a destination city in a marketplace Formula One is keen to penetrate further following the success of the CoTA track in Austin, it now appears that the plans have finally been abandoned by both the event promotors and Formula One - but hopes of a race in the region haven't quite died out yet.
According to the Miami Herold, the Formula One group and Miami Grand Prix promoter Stephen Ross have mutually agreed to cancel plans for a race on the city streets following strong opposition from several parties, and are now evaluating options to host a Grand Prix elsewhere within the area.
One of the potentially most favourable proposals is to build a purpose built facility within the confines of the existing Hard Rock Stadium parkland area, an area of land that is already used for entertainment purposes and is located just outside the main downtown area - still affording the venue a perfect visual backdrop for any potential new circuit creation.
“A lot would have to happen for us to be able to do it, but we have over 250 acres of land so adding an F1 race to where Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Open sit means we can create a world-class racing circuit that is unencumbered by existing infrastructure,” said Tom Garfinkel, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hard Rock Stadium.
“It also means better ingress and egress, better amenities, unprecedented sight-lines, and opportunities for the best hospitality anywhere in racing. We can still do parties and events all week downtown. We only want to do it if we can create world-class racing, a great fan experience, and a lot of value for Miami.”
Liberty Media are keen to expand their presence in the United States, and Miami has long been regarded as one of the key 'destination cities' that the sport would like to attract to the current Grand Prix schedule. Although the loss of a deal to run a race on the main city streets is a short term blow for the sport, with other potential locations such as Las Vegas still under consideration, and the counter Miami proposal within the parkland setting of the Hard Rock Stadium, plenty of opportunities for another US based Grand Prix in the near future remain.
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I'm sure Grosjean would be able to smash a Backflip with his Haas car when he came through Sunset Bend
