A gigantic amusement park, articulated around Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins American football franchise. For the second edition of the Miami Grand Prix, Sunday May 7 (3:30 p.m. local time, 9:30 p.m. Paris time), its organizers have transformed the stadium car parks into a temporary and spectacular Formula 1 (F1) circuitwith in particular a grandstand transformed into beach club and a reconstructed “false” marina housing a dozen small yachts.
“It’s Miami!” » In a burst of laughter, the Italian Günther Steiner, boss of Haas, the only American team on the circuit, summarizes the ambient excess. “2022 was like a three-day Super Bowl. This year, the organizers intend to be even more extravagant, assures Stefano Domenicali, president of Formula One – the firm that organizes F1 – on behalf of the American group Liberty Media. The Miami Dolphins know how to put on world-class events with quality music, “hospitality” and an incredible roster of celebrities. »
With the addition of Las Vegas (Nevada) to the calendar this season, the United States now has three Grands Prix. Discipline comes a long way, however. “Not long ago, many wondered if we had a long-term future in the United States, exposes the Italian Stefano Domenicali, interviewed by The world. F1 was arrogant and expected American fans to love F1 and follow us at the snap of a finger. We have to deserve and earn the trust of the fans. » Losing speed, the discipline feared the crash. On the contrary, it has made a spectacular turnaround.
F1’s reconquest of America is no accident. By buying this aging barnum from the Briton Bernie Ecclestone, Liberty Media had hatched its plan. “These results are part of a clear strategy to engage directly with American audiences and tailor our content”explains Stefano Domenicali.
Entertainment at the heart of the strategy
Based in Florida for nearly twenty years, Sébastien Bourdais knows the landscape of American motorsport like the back of his hand. After a short stint in the F1 seats, the French driver excelled in Indycar, the American single-seater championship. And attends, at the forefront, the breakthrough of cars with the F1 logo in the United States. “The strategy of a store like Liberty, which knows the American market very well, has a lot to do with it.notes the Manceau. F1 vegetated on the American market, many promoters broke their noses there. »
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