Lewis Hamilton believes the addition of more US races has only strengthened the Miami Grand Prix’s place on the calendar.
Last year, the United States had the third scheduled race on the calendar, joining the United States Grand Prix and Miami Grand Prix with the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton: F1’s visibility is much higher
In 2012, the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas was added to the calendar, and in 2022 the number of races in the United States increases to two with the arrival of the Miami International Autodrome.
Just a year later, that number has increased to three with the development of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where F1 held its first race since 1982 last November.
Miami’s identity, which has enjoyed an established success rivaling the visual appeal of Las Vegas, racing down the famous Strip, and even featuring the Circuit of the Americas year after year, will continue to grow in the first two events. It didn’t seem so unique after the event took place. A flashier alternative to the USGP.
But now the race is in Las Vegas, making Miami’s 2024 event the best yet. The circuit proved to be a tricky challenge for drivers throughout the sprint weekend, producing some interesting racing and a new first-time winner. Lando Norris.
Speaking during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton said he doesn’t feel the Miami event has diminished in the slightest with the addition of Las Vegas to the calendar, and in fact has become more popular. he said. He believes F1 in the US has brought about a cultural change.
“Less? No, I think the sport has gotten even bigger here,” he said when asked about imposing the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Miami event.
“It’s gotten a lot more recognition. Every city you go to, people are excited about it. Now it’s a sport here in America.
“It used to be an annual event. Now we’ve become part of the culture here and it’s really, really great. It’s amazing and the United States is finally embracing this sport. I think we’re all very grateful for the acceptance and the love and passion we all grew up with for this sport.
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Williams boss James Vowles has spoken out about Miami’s impact on the F1 calendar over the last three years, praising organizers for transforming a nondescript tarmac into a challenging F1 racetrack.
“If you compare where we were at the beginning to where we are now three years later, that’s a big change,” he said.
“This is basically a car park converted into a first-class F1 track.
“More than that, I assess things by what the atmosphere is like on the grid. Being on the grid here on a race weekend has a similar impact as being on the grid at Silverstone or elsewhere. We have a fan base that fully supports us as a series. And that wasn’t the case at all three years ago.
“That’s because of Tom’s hard work and diligence.” [Garfinkel] And his team is here.
“When you go to Las Vegas and you go here to COTA, all three are completely different.
“There’s no real similarity between all of them. That’s the great thing about it. Basically, they’re different glasses. But for all of us here, Miami is now a gathering place for partners and nights. , I think this is a place where we can effectively bring outside interest to the sport, one of the best, if not the best.”
McLaren CEO Zac Brown said Miami was just one of many factors changing the way the US views F1.
“I think they need to keep doing what they’re doing,” he said.
“Tom Garfinkel and Tyler Epp are doing a great job. Between COTA, Austin, Miami, Las Vegas, Netflix, and the upcoming Brad Pitt movie (which of course will be a global movie), these I think all of those factors are helping us build our sport quickly in North America, and of course the new TV deals.
“If you look at Tom and Tyler’s response after year one, you can see that their improvement has been huge and they’ve been very good. They’ve continued to do it. So it’s hard for them to sit still. I don’t see it. I think Miami is a great market where people like to travel.
“So I think each of these grands prix has its own personality. I think that’s one of the interesting things about F1. I think that’s why they’re not going to shut up. Same with our race cars. So they’re constantly developing. And I think it’s a great event and it’s going to go from strength to strength.”
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