Miami Grand Prix will ‘feel like a Super Bowl’, claims McLaren boss

F1 will head to Florida for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on the weekend of May 6-8

(Getty Images)

The Miami Grand Prix at the Hard Rock Stadium will have the feel of a Super Bowl, McLaren boss Zak Brown has claimed, as buzz around the inaugural event ratchets up ahead of its Formula One debut.

The race will be one of two to be held in the United States this season, joining the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and was finally added to the F1 calendar after years of speculation.

There had been talk of the race taking place in downtown Miami, but instead it will be based around the Hard Rock Stadium, which is home to NFL team the Miami Dolphins and also hosts major events such as the Miami Open in tennis.

The stadium has also held a record 11 Super Bowls, including the 2020 Super Bowl, and demand for tickets has far outstripped demand, in another sign of Formula One’s growing popularity in the United States and around the world.

And Brown says the Miami Grand Prix will have a similar appeal to the Super Bowl, with A-list celebrities expected to be in attendance.

“It’s going to be awesome. I’ve been here six years and I’ve never seen demand or buzz for a grand prix like I’ve seen for Miami,” Brown told Reuters.

“We can easily double our hospitality and we’re already the largest hospitality buyer in Miami... it rivals the Super Bowl as far as ‘are you going to the Miami race?’

“I’ve been around F1 for 20 years and I’m used to going to grands prix but I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Miami Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix will be joined on the F1 calendar by the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, which was announced earlier this season.