Miami GP, The FESTIVAL of Formula 1

The United States welcomed Formula 1 back in style at the Miami Grand Prix on May 6-8, 2022.

What an incredible turnout at the first Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix. It was beautiful to see one of the greatest responses to a Formula 1 event on American soil. Miami and the Hard Rock organization built one of the greatest events I experienced in motorsports ever. It was a combination of parties, events, celebrities, glamour and sunshine, and of course, the race itself.

All in a very Miami style.

The message is clear. The race organization wanted to make an attractive product for the South Florida market. They made the Hard Rock Stadium a jewel with the finest themes of Miami. The best restaurants, food and cocktail experience, the best deejays from all over the world, beaches and yachts, exotic cars, Miami Dolphins, and celebrities like Michael Jordan and Tom Brady…to name a few.

Miami’s finest in such a small space. It was a Festival of Formula 1. The response of the public was massive, around 250000 people attended the race over the weekend. Let’s call it a success.

Ferrari’s Second Home

Walking around the Main Campus, it was easy to spot Ferrari’s celebrating its 75th years of races in America. It was an absolute tribute to the prancing horse. We saw a beautiful Ferrari clubhouse, with one of the best hospitality programs you could ever imagine, and rallies on Saturday and Sunday where you could see all Ferrari’s lineup from the 50’s to the last models.

It was an absolute experience on its own to see the great turnout Ferrari had in South Florida, with many of our Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale clients representing our dealership. Thank you to all that joined the Ferrari event and made the Miami GP Ferrari’s home.

The Miami Grand Prix Race

While we could take this whole post to celebrate and praise the organization for such great event, the race itself needs few words on it. Friday was a busy day as FP1 and FP2 were the first occasions for the drivers to “learn” the new track. A very narrow track, with very few technical turns and two heavy and long straights that make the Miami GP a classic power track.

The nature of the track would make the experts talking about a Miami being more a Red Bull track, with Ferrari being a potential threat, as the drivers may have more knowledge of the track’s layout, being very similar to some famous Italian tracks. Despite a great qualify from Ferrari, with Leclerc and Sainz getting P1 and P2 respectively, the Rossa looked to enter the race with greater odds than anticipated.

But just as in Imola, Red Bull engine, able to unleash these 7-8 mph more than Ferrari’s engine, made a big difference in creating the gap between Verstappen and Leclerc, which were again protagonists of a perfect performance with little to no errors throughout the whole race.

The narrow track suggests – just as other narrow tracks we already seen this season, like Jeddah – there is a struggle for drivers to overtake and create that spectacular show made of surpasses and battles that distinguishes Formula 1. Being able to see these 2022 cars up-close, the tracks need to re-adapt the circuit width accordingly, so cars can find more space to overtake.

Other than that, this Formula 1 looked more like a fashion show, with the cars passing by like models on the runway. The only accident between Gasly and Norris at mid-race gave a bit more hopes for more battling between Ferraris and Red Bull, but that was it.

Results

Verstappen wins, with a car that is benefits from that engine superiority, with Leclerc second and Sainz completing the podium. Leclerc now has only 20 points advantage on Verstappen, and it looks like the Dutchman is not looking to leave any other points behind. The hope is on Maranello’s bringing a new power unit that can close the gap with Red Bull. This way that Leclerc can continue be the biggest rival and candidate for the WDC.

Miami Grand Prix Event Gallery