(Motorsports news) The Miami Grand Prix is increasing its capacity for the following year as a result of two successful events, which includes additional grandstands on the start/finish straight heading toward Turn 1. However, while believing that there is a need to draw in more spectators, race organizers are not letting their guard down. Instead, they want to focus on a few key areas that they believe will help the GP advance. 

Following the surface break-up issues and lack of grip in 2022 that caused it to be resurfaced by Tilke for this year, the track surface in Miami has become a major talking point at both of its events. However, despite the fresh asphalt, drivers continued to complain about a general lack of grip, particularly when running off-line.

There is some hope that a more worn-in surface may result in an improvement for 2024, but another factor being considered is making sure a better support race package is in place, since this will put more rubber on the track for the F1 cars. “We have talked with the FIA and F1 about trying to get a little more rubber laid onto the race track before the F1 cars go out,” Miami GP president Tyler Epp stated.

“We are considering that for the following year. We’ll work hard to create the best environment we can, but it was over two seconds faster and there were more passes, including one for the lead. Epp responded to the question of whether there will be further support races in 2024 by saying, “I think it’s very, very conceivable that we would go back to two support races supporting F1 next year. We’re still figuring out exactly what those are, but I can tell you that the goal is to make sure that the F1 races and practice sessions perform as well as they possibly can, rather than merely filling the schedule.

Fewer static shocks:

The F1 team paddock was moved inside the Hard Rock Stadium stadium as one of the significant adjustments Miami made for this year’s event. The stadium setting was a huge success in enhancing the mood and making life easier for team employees because things became a little too crowded at the initial event.

However, there was one obvious drawback: the artificial grass used to cover the pitch helped generate its fair share of static electricity, which meant that whenever somebody touched something or another person, they received a jolt. Epp claims that little issue will be resolved for 2024 since he believed the venue was preferable for spectators who could observe the drivers and team members arrive and depart during the race weekend.

No night race, but interest in sprint:

At this year’s event, managing partner Tom Garfinkel disclosed that there had been discussions with F1 about making the Miami GP a night race. Although Miami organizers have since contacted other night racing promoters, the idea has currently been placed on hold.

“Several of the promoters have been very helpful, particularly Singapore and Vegas, and we’ve talked about whether we could do this,” Epp continued. Is this all making sense? We didn’t really delve too much into the analysis, though, as the question of why are you doing it eventually came up. We must ensure that there is a valid explanation.

“We’re highly unlikely to do it for 2024, but we’ll keep evaluating. We’re always looking for ways to improve the experience, and if we get to the point where F1 says that from a broadcast perspective, this truly works for us, it makes a lot of sense. Of course, we’ll look into it. As F1 executives draw closer to choosing which six venues will host the sprint races in 2024, Miami is one of the contenders. Despite not overtly promoting it, the venue was amenable to the notion, according to Epp.

The ‘fake’ Marina and Beach Club:

In 2024, Miami also intends to keep some of its distinguishing features, such as the Hard Rock Beach Club and the “fake” Marina. Epp acknowledges that at some point a change may be necessary to keep things interesting so that attendees don’t think the event is getting stale, but for the time being, both aspects are considered as successes.

However, the demographic and the experiences that people have in those areas are primarily taken into account when making judgments. Therefore, if we frequently receive the comment “this is nice,” we will maintain it. “The Marina has been really enjoyable. There will be a point when that needs to rotate through as we continue to develop it, but that’s alright.

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