F1: Next year, Formula One cars will compete in Miami after announcing a 10-year contract to host the Miami Grand Prix beginning in 2022.
The long-awaited race will take place on a new 3,36-mile track looping around Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins’ home.
The circuit will have 19 corners and three long straights, with cars forecast to peak at 198 mph.
The exact date of the race will be decided later, but F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali announced the event will be held in the second quarter of the year ahead of the August summer break.
This ensures F1 can prevent back-to-back races in the U.S. by having the Miami Grand Prix apart from the U.S. Grand Prix, usually held at Austin’s Americas Circuit in the final quarter of the season. This year’s Austin race is on Oct. 24.
“We’ll keep them separate to provide room for both,” Domenicali said Sunday. “It’s very crucial.”
F1 has been working on bringing a race to Miami for many years and initially planned to race around Biscayne Bay and Bayfront Park as early as 2019, until the proposal was thwarted by local opposition.
Working with Miami Dolphin owner Stephen Ross, F1 then targeted a landrace around the Hard Rock Stadium, but still faced resistance from local residents and politicians.
City councillors eventually voted for the proposal on Thursday after the agreement contained a bonus package for Miami Gardens.
An allocation of discounted tickets will be set aside for residents of Miami Gardens and a $5 million funding package for local companies has been accepted, including a STEM education programme for local schools.
Moreover, as part of a memorandum of agreement between the race organiser and the city, it was decided that “no part of the planned track should use Northwest Street or N.W. 27th Avenue, and that no race should start before 2:30 p.m. (ET) on a school day” as well as ensuring that no session begins after sunset.
Miami will be the 11th venue to hold a Formula One race in the United States and is set to enter the current 2022 U.S. Grand Prix, assuming the Austin race will extend its deal as expected for next year.
“We’re excited to announce Formula One racing in Miami starting in 2022,” Domenicali said. “The U.S. is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our increasing U.S. scope, which this exciting second race would further help.
“We will work closely with the Hard Rock Stadium and FI A team to ensure the circuit offers sensational racing, but still leaves a meaningful and enduring contribution to local community residents.”
Tom Garfinkel, Miami’s managing partner, added: “The Miami Gardens Hard Rock Stadium Entertainment Campus exists to host the biggest global events to support the entire larger Miami area, and Formula One racing is as big as it gets.
“We worked with professional designers to develop a racetrack that we, Formula One and FIA believe will provide great racing and we hope to create the best-in-class unique fan experiences that represent Miami’s complex, vibrant nature.”
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