Formula One: Miami Grand Prix brings racing, legal trouble, and US$100,000 tables at clubs
- With race-weekend tickets starting at almost US$1,000, Miami promises to be one of the year’s most expensive car events
- CEO of hotspot nightclub E11even Miami projects a ‘record-breaking week’ that will ‘far exceed’ sales during Super Bowl 2020
For racing fans, Miami’s first-ever Formula One race, on May 8, will be one of the most exciting events of the year.
Preceded by a day of practice and a day of qualifying rounds, Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix will feature 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton and leaders Charles LeClerc, Max Verstappen, and Sergio Perez vying for position around a 3.3-mile track at Hard Rock Stadium inside the Miami International Autodrome. The stadium’s stands alone will hold roughly 80,000, according to organisers.
The race follows the Australian and Italian Grands Prix, in a season that has seen Hamilton’s dominance at Mercedes fade as newer drivers including Carlos Sainz and George Russell gain prominence.
While Ferrari’s LeClerc leads with the most points won, Verstappen and Perez are close on his tail. Hamilton, meanwhile, lags behind the pack in seventh place.
But the bona fide superstar, who was recently knighted by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle, has won more races than anyone in the sport’s history – and still presents a significant threat to overtake the podium.
With race-weekend tickets starting at almost US$1,000 and single-day general admission passes beginning near US$600, Miami also promises to be one of the year’s most expensive car events. Three-day hospitality packages, still available online as of April 25, start around US$4,800.
But it’s everything happening off-track in Miami that will make the weekend feel truly glamorous. The best examples are held nowhere near the racetrack.