Tom Brady, LeBron James, Michael Jordan … and an engine has yet to be revved in anger.
This weekend’s Miami Grand Prix is set to be one of THE glitziest events on the global sporting calendar and those three superstars have already been showing their faces in the build-up to the race. But one big name who is trying not to hog the limelight is Toto Wolff.
As Formula One enters a period of unprecedented commercial growth, the team principals have become familiar figures on television screens and staple features of online coverage. And towards the end of the dramatic 2021 season, the head-to-head rivalry of Wolff and Red Bull chief Christian Horner was almost as compelling as the battle between eventual champion Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Such has been their rise to prominence, organisers of the Miami Grand Prix wanted the team principals to go on a parade lap in front of the tens of thousands of fans - just as the drivers do ahead of every race. But the plan was scrapped, much to the Mercedes boss’s relief.
Wolff said: “I don’t think team owners should be waving at the fans. It should be the drivers at the forefront. They are the athletes - they are the gladiators in the machines. And not any of us.”
Even so, the American public has long been obsessed with the owners of sporting franchises and the likes of Wolff and Horner will be expected to maintain a high profile during the inaugural Miami race.
Some drivers have complained about increased media commitments in the 2022 season but Wolff is determined to make sure Formula One continues its surge in popularity.
He declared: “The sport is booming. The audiences are going up, commercial revenue is going up and we need to do the utmost to satisfy the demands of the media and the demands of the fans. I find that great and it is something to be proud of.”
All the talk in South Florida has been of the Miami Grand Prix rivalling the Super Bowl as the biggest one-off sporting occasion in the States. That seems very far-fetched but the fanfare surrounding the event reflects just how strong Formula One’s resurgence has become.
On the track, Wolff will be hoping for improved fortunes for his Mercedes team but the Ferraris and Red Bulls are still expected to dominate on the new track.
The drivers will get their first experience of the layout on Friday but they have all done extensive testing on simulators and the feedback has been positive with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas saying: “It seems to be a really good track for overtaking.
“It should be really good racing - pretty long straights and a couple of really good overtaking opportunities. Let’s see how it is done in real life but to me, on paper, it looks good. And I’m sure, as an event, it is going to be pretty amazing.”
