Lewis Hamilton holds the belief that the inclusion of the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the calendar has not diminished the significance of the Miami race.
Lewis Hamilton believes the Miami Grand Prix’s place on the calendar has only solidified as a result of more US races being added.
In the previous year, the United States welcomed a new addition to its racing calendar, as the Las Vegas Grand Prix joined the existing United States and Miami Grands Prix.
Lewis Hamilton: F1 has a lot more awareness
The addition of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas in 2012 brought the total number of races in the States to two in 2022, as the Miami International Autodrome joined the calendar.
In just one year, the count rose to three when F1 organized the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This prestigious event marked its return after a hiatus of nearly four decades, with its first race taking place in November of last year.
After hosting its first two events as a more extravagant alternative to the USGP, Miami’s identity seemed less distinct compared to the visually stunning Las Vegas and the renowned Circuit of The Americas. The city’s uniqueness was overshadowed by the glamour of Las Vegas and the established success of the Circuit of The Americas, especially considering the high-speed races down the famous Strip.
However, after Las Vegas successfully hosted its race, Miami’s 2024 event surpassed all expectations. The circuit posed a difficult challenge for the drivers throughout the Sprint weekend, resulting in an intriguing race that ultimately crowned Lando Norris as a first-time winner.
During the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time F1 World Champion, expressed his opinion that the addition of Las Vegas to the F1 calendar did not diminish the significance of the Miami event. Instead, he believes that the growing popularity of Formula 1 in the United States indicates a cultural shift.
“Diminished? No, I think the sport’s got bigger here,” he said, when asked about the imposition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Miami’s event.
“It’s got a lot more awareness. Every city that I go to, people are excited. It’s now a sport here in the States.
“Before, it was just an event that arrived once a year. Now, we’re kind of a part of the culture here, which is really, really cool. It’s been amazing, and I think all of us are super grateful for the US finally embracing this sport and having the love and passion for it that we all have grown up with.
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Williams’ boss James Vowles commended the organizers for transforming a nondescript patch of asphalt into a formidable F1 racetrack, highlighting Miami’s significant influence over the past three years on the F1 calendar.
“If you compare where we are today, three years in, from where we were at the beginning, it’s an enormous change,” he said.
“This was a car park, fundamentally, that they converted into a top tier Formula 1 track.
“More so, I sort of rate things by how the atmosphere is on the grid. If you stand on the grid here at the race weekend, it’s got similar repercussions to where you are at Silverstone or otherwise. You have a fan base that is completely in support of us as a series. And that simply wasn’t the case three years ago.
“That’s through hard work and diligence by Tom [Garfinkel] and his team here.
“When you go to Vegas to here to COTA, all three are completely different.
“There are no real similarities between all of them. And that’s the great thing about it. Fundamentally, they’re different spectacles. But I think for all of us here, Miami is now for partners, for evenings, for effectively bringing in outside interest into the sport, top tier, if not the best out there.”
According to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Miami plays a significant role in reshaping the perception of Formula 1 in the United States, but it is not the sole factor.
“I think they just need to keep doing what they’re doing,” he said.
“Tom Garfinkel and Tyler Epp are doing an awesome job. I think in between COTA, Austin, Miami, Vegas, Netflix, and the soon-to-be Brad Pitt movie, which of course will be global, I think all those elements are helping build our sport very quickly in North America. Of course, a new television contract.
“If you look at the way Tom and Tyler responded after year one, the improvements they’ve made were substantial and very good. They continue to do that. So I don’t see them sitting still. I think Miami is an awesome market that people like to travel to.
“So I think each one of these Grands Prix has their own personality. I think that’s one of the things that’s exciting about Formula 1. So I think they’re not sitting still. They’re constantly developing like we are our race cars. And I think it’s an awesome event and going to go from strength to strength.”
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