The area where Hard Rock Stadium is located, in Miami Gardens, has become a well-known sports complex in recent years.. Both for the number of events it organizes and for the ability to mutate its skin in record time, be it an NFL match, a tennis Master 1000 or a Formula One Grand Prix.
There are two correct names to understand this ambitious project, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, Stephen M. Ross, and the vice president of franchise operations, Todd Boyan. Both had the vision that a multi-sport sports project with worldwide impacts would develop their franchise.
Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, explained this to Agencia EFE: “They saw it very clearly from day one, this should be a world-class racing circuit, and we want the drivers, the teams, the competition and the FIA to think so.”.
For Epp, the great goal is not just to hold Formula One at the venue. “It should be more than cars driving on a track. This is an experience through food, drink, entertainment, culture… I think it is represented in the paddock, also in the accesses, in the marina, on the avenue and in the products we sell. It’s a ‘Disneyland’ concept around racing.
The Hard Rock Stadium site is considered one of the most important sites in the world. “I talked to the promoters of the Spa and Montreal Grand Prix, who are here. They asked me how we managed to organize the Miami Open and the Formula One race with one event so close to the other,” said Tyler Epp.
PARAONIC ASSEMBLY IN RECORD TIME
The Miami Open women’s doubles final, the final match of the tournament, was played on April 2. Dismantling the center court usually takes about forty days, but in this 2023 edition the organization had to do it in just two weeks.
In the same physical space, the usual playing field of the Dolphins, now stands the so-called ‘Team Village’the Hospitality area of each of the ten championship teams.
“It was a 24/7 job for about a month. Since the end of the women’s doubles finals of the Miami Open, the last match of the tournament, it hasn’t stopped until a few days ago”, Epp proudly said.
Anticipation and planning are key, and Epp himself highlights this: “Everyone has meetings scheduled this week, starting Friday, to talk about what we’re going to start doing next year.”
The numbers are impressive, with more than a thousand people involved every day in transforming the stadium into a racetrack. farm of more than 207 hectares on the surface.
THE NEW PADDOCK, THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN
Of all the architectural elements that make up this Miami Grand Prix, the jewel in the crown is the new building for the paddockwhich was built on the north side of the stadium in just ten months.
This is the big challenge after the first edition in 2022: “We learned that we can do better, to improve the experience in hospitals and also facilitate the work of the teams. We approached it very aggressively, building a new building with a lot of effort and a lot of work hours”, explains Tyler Epp.
It is a space of 16,000 square meters and four heightswill specifically host the Formula One Grand Prix, and during the year can also be used for other purposes.
Epp emphasizes that the organization thinks a lot about the teams and their mechanics being able to work in the best conditions: “These people want to come here and work well, this new space allows them to do it, and the teams, so that in turn, they will receive many people with their hospitality”.
EXPENSIVE AND ALMOST SOLD OUT TICKETS
Living at the Miami Grand Prix as a fan is not cheapbut in both editions the tickets were sold at a very fast pace, including the most expensive packages that cost thousands of dollars and allow you to live “a complete premium experience with great value, which cannot be bought by money.”
In 2023 the number of local fans has decreased: “If we divide the public between local, national or international; the percentage of people from other countries is higher That’s the last year. This does not mean that there is no interest in the people of Miami, but the demand from abroad is very high and there is a great attraction for going to a place like this from other corners of the planet”, commented Tyler Epp .
The pier with luxury yachts and the artificial water beach located at turn number seven has survived in number of memes that was made about them in the 2022 edition, in fact they are still one of the most expensive tickets. This year with real water, and prices around $67,000 to accommodate up to fifteen people.
Miami wants to position itself as one of the Formula One Grand Prix with a stronger identityin just two editions it has already achieved this, and it still has an eight-year FIA contract ahead of it.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
