Organizers Tom Garfinkel and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross produced a gorgeous facility, far above our expectations.
Jared C. TiltonGetty Images“All this,” asked Gabriella, the shuttle bus driver, “for two hours?”
“Yes,” we told her. “That’s how long the race takes.”
“Huh,” she replied, a noncommittal response, but you can tell she was thinking: A football game may last just an hour, but they play a bunch of them.
Welcome to the world of $100 souvenir gimme caps, though within the realm of Formula 1, “gimme” only goes in the direction of the sport, not the fans. That said, Tom Garfinkel, CEO of the Miami Grand Prix, said he wasn’t making any money off the 2022 race. “Ask me next year,” he said.
Even so, investing a fortune turning the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium into the Miami International Velodrome for two hours, and expecting it to turn a profit after next year’s two-hour race, is remarkable. Garfinkel and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross overdelivered, producing a gorgeous facility, far above our expectations after driving the route a year ago. It was a dull stadium parking lot and a few surface streets in the impoverished suburb of Miami Gardens but once inside, it was more Monaco, less misery. Traffic was miserable leaving the race, but compared to, say, Circuit of the Americas, it was a mere inconvenience.
Bet against Max Verstappen at your own risk these days.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIGetty Images
The race itself was surprisingly lackluster, a largely follow-the-leader affair after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen squeezed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the first few laps. After his brief run of bad luck, Verstappen was a man on a mission, and anyone who bets against a pissed-off Verstappen does so at their own peril. Celebrities and their entourages, major and minor, made for splendid people-watching leading up to the race, but once the green flag flew, it was not that dramatic, unless you were the spun-out Lando Norris.
Bottom line: The Miami Grand Prix led off with a swagger, an assuredness far beyond what its rookie status should have. The fact that Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz topped the podium wearing football helmets, which Sports Illustrated immediately pronounced “hilarious,” just capped off a long weekend that seemed a little surreal.
Good job, gentlemen. We look forward to what you may have planned for 2023.
F1 Miami Grand Prix Results
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 57 laps
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +3.7 seconds
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, +8.2
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull, +10.6
- George Russell, Mercedes, +18.5
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, +21.3
- Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo, +25.0
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine, +28.3
- Fernando Alonso, Alpine, +32.1
- Alexander Albon, Williams, +32.3
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, +37.0
- Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, +40.1
- Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, +40.9
- Nicholas Latifi, Williams, +49.9
- Mick Schumacher, Haas, +1:13.3
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas, +1 lap
- Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, +3 laps
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri, +12 laps
- Lando Norris, McLaren, +18 laps
- Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo, +51 laps
Keyword: F1 Miami Grand Prix Proved to Be More Monaco, Less Misery