As Formula One prepares for its first meeting of the year in the United States it is Miami, the party town, that will host the latest in what has been a series of season-opening celebrations by Max Verstappen. Yet the Dutchman’s dominance does not faze race organisers in Florida, who are convinced of the continued growth of the popularity of F1 in the United States.
F1 is here for the third time and it is one of the meetings F1’s owners, Liberty Media, wanted to promote when they took over the sport. An “event” race in a destination city; a racing Super Bowl, an extravaganza where the show, the spectacle and the experience was considered as vital as the cars on the track. Inevitably, the very idea put the hackles up of diehards in Europe but F1 has room for a spot of showbiz alongside the stately classics.
