Formula 1 is coming to Miami Gardens in 2022! 10-year deal guarantees Miami hosting the race, with the Hard Rock Stadium circumnavigated by the 5,140-meter track.

It’s difficult to deny Miami's extraordinary sporting legacy. The city has a team competing in every single major American sport. Being there you can enjoy the NBA’s Miami Heat, MLB’s Miami Marlins, MLS’s Inter Miami, NHL’s Florida Panthers, and of course NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Not to mention the Miami Open tournament, recently hosted at Hard Rock Stadium. Adding the F1 race, which will fill its calendar from 2022, completes the marvellous sports and entertainment offer of the city of Miami.

Street circuit vibe

When it comes to the Miami GP sites, the Hard Rock Stadium area was not the first choice for the F1’s deciders. Since work on the project began four years ago, organizers and their partners created different combinations, including 75 layout variations across the various proposed sites.

Focusing on the current site, the F1 team has simulated an impressive 36 different layouts, before landing on the present one. The 5,140-meter track will be built around the home to the NFL’s famous Miami Dolphins franchise and will consist of three straights and nineteen curves (corners), encouraging close racing.

Drivers will be able to use three drag reduction system (DRS) zones and achieve an estimated top speed of 320 km/h there. The exact date of the race has yet to be confirmed, but there are rumors and predictions that the first event in a 10-year agreement will take place in the second quarter of 2022.

You could walk around the top deck of the stadium and see every corner on the race track – and that’s pretty unique, said Tom Garfinkel, Vice-Chairman, President & CEO, Hard Rock Stadium.

© Formula 1

Organizers underline that the track will work in harmony with Hard Rock Stadium’s multi-purpose nature. It will be used for spectator services and also directly as a race-related facility. A 12-cabin gondola cable car system, the first to be built at any stadium in the US, will keep its place during the event, delivering an additional fan experience.

We have worked with specialist designers to create a racetrack that we, Formula 1 and the FIA believe will provide great racing and we hope to create best-in-class unique fan experiences that are reflective of the diverse and dynamic nature of Miami. Garfinkel added.

Community engaging race

For the first time in F1’s long history, the championship will be hosted in a predominantly African-American community, in the city of Miami Gardens, a few miles north of Downtown Miami. The race will provide additional value to the community.

It aims to influence the tourist movement and make an economic impact on local businesses in the area of Miami. Formula 1 and the promoter announced that they will be working closely with the local community to ensure an allotment of discounted tickets for Miami Gardens residents, ensuring they have the opportunity to experience the thrill of the sport.

© Miami Open

The USA is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our growing reach in the US which will be further supported by this exciting second race. We will be working closely with the team from Hard Rock Stadium and the FIA to ensure the circuit delivers exciting racing but also leaves a positive and lasting contribution to the people in the local community. said Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.

What is more, the supporting program will be a part of the agreed deal. It assumes getting full benefits for the Miami residents, including education projects at schools and providing the visibility of local business during the race weekend.

With F1 coming to town it’s hoped that the economic boom will continue, with thousands of new jobs created for the community. Believing the promoters or not, they predict around 35,000 local hotel bookings and over $400m in a positive economic impact delivered to the city each year.

The Hard Rock Stadium complex is a multi-sport, multi-purpose entertainment campus. It hosted six Super Bowls, two Baseball World Series and numerous rock concerts. Miami with its 65,326-seater will be the 11th location Formula 1 has raced in the United States since the Championship began in 1950, following Indianapolis, Sebring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and Circuit of The Americas in Austin.

Author: Karol Tatar