Miami GP signs 10-year deal to join F1 calendar from 2022

The Miami Grand Prix will finally join the Formula 1 calendar in 2022 as part of a 10-year agreement to host grand prix racing.

F1’s announcement follows years of delays after the championship initially hoped to stage a first-ever Miami GP in October 2019 but was forced to abandon those plans.

Following objections to the race from locals, F1 had to make changes to its planned location for the Florida race, moving from downtown Miami to a new purpose-built track around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.

A breakthrough was finally reached earlier this week when city commissioners voted in favour of a crucial new resolution despite opposition remaining from local activists, paving the way for F1 to conclude a deal. 

The new plan includes a pledge of $5million to fund “community benefits programs to be administered by the city", including a STEM education project that will be initiated through F1 in Schools.

Promoters will also provide discounted tickets to the grand prix for locals and support the community by prioritising nearby restaurants to be official venders for the event.

An exact date for the race is yet to be set out by F1, but it previously had an agreement in principle to hold a round in May 2021.

“We are thrilled to announce that Formula 1 will be racing in Miami beginning in 2022,” said F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali.

“The US 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 sensational racing but also leaves a positive and lasting contribution for the people in the local community.

“We are grateful to our fans, the Miami Gardens elected officials and the local tourism industry for their patience and support throughout this process. We are looking forward to bringing the greatest racing spectacle on the planet to Miami for the first time in our sport’s history.”

Domenicali’s comments will act as encouragement for the future of the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, with the circuit’s current 10-year deal due to expire at the end of the 2021 season.

Miami will become 11th location F1 has raced at in the United States since 1950, following Riverside, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Texas. 

The circuit will be 5.41km in length and feature 19 corners, three straights and have the potential for three DRS zones.

F1 says the new track will provide “high speed straights, multiple overtaking opportunities and exciting racing while meeting the highest safety standards.”

“The Hard Rock stadium entertainment campus in Miami Gardens exists to host the biggest global events to benefit the entire greater Miami region and Formula 1 racing is as big as it gets,” added Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel.

“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.

“I want to thank Formula 1 and the Miami Gardens and Miami Dade County elected officials for working to bring this hugely impactful event here for years to come.”