Author: JENNA FRYEROVÁ, writer of AP Auto Racing

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) – Formula 1 featured the Miami race and featured sun, sand, beaches and boats.

So when the opening Miami Grand Prix landed at Hard Rock Stadium, nowhere near South Beach, where F1 wasn’t looking for a backdrop, the promoter said don’t worry.

F1 wants boats in the suburbs?

Done. They built a fake port. With fake water and the like.

Well, in Mia Marina, which is located between the 4th and 6th corners in a purpose-built place around the Miami Dolphins Stadium, it’s not really water at all. It is located on the corner of NW 27th Ave and NW 199th Street in Miami Gardens, an inland neighborhood about 25 miles from the original required F1 Center.

It’s not exactly Monaco, but the artificial harbor is a 25,000-square-foot dry dock designed to look like water. These 10 yachts are real – one seems to have been booked by Michael Mak, the local founder of Celebrity Sports Entertainment; one waved the British flag; the next one is called “Wheels” – but the water is just plywood covered with a sticker.

Yacht Club tickets started at $ 9,500 to $ 38,000 for a four-person ticket.

It is part of a five-star weekend experience created by Tom Garfinkel, vice president of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium and managing partner of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. He collaborated with owner Stephen Ross to transform Hard Rock Stadium into a global sports and entertainment venue worthy of the world’s top events.

Hard Rock hosted the Super Bowls, the university playoffs, the big tennis tournament, international football, concerts and the “Rolling Loud” music festival. From Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Serena Williams and Neymara, all the biggest names were from Hard Rock.

And on Saturday, former First Lady Michelle Obama watched F1 training from the back of boxing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

“Steve Ross had a vision and to truly host the world’s big events, and to be true, Formula One must be on that list,” Garfinkel told The Associated Press. stadium in the world, which can say that they had Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Patrick Mahomes and U2 and Jay-Z and Beyoncé and Messi and Neymar in the same place.

The event is currently the hottest ticket in sports. George Lucas was also a guest on Saturday, as well as Greg Norman, Michael Strahan and Jeff Gordon. English entertainer James Corden was in the paddock for three consecutive days, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen hung in front of McLaren’s restaurant waiting for Daniel Ricciard’s friend.

“Demands from sponsors and fans were off the charts, unlike anything I’ve seen during my Formula One job,” said McLaren boss Zak Brown, an American. “I really like where we are in North America in terms of Formula 1 popularity.”

Garfinkel continued racing in Miami long before F1 built a fast and crazy American who followed the Netflix documentary “Drive To Survive.” The race was not officially added to the calendar for 2022 until last season – this gives the United States two races for the first time since 1984 – but the first meetings took place in early 2018.

F1 was bought by the American company Liberty Media and Garfinkel thought that the USA could have a chance to expand. Miami is the 11th different venue for F1 races in the United States, but the series tried to gain traction in the country until late. The United States spent four years without an F1 event, while the Circuit of America in Austin, Texas brought the European Series back to the United States in 2012.

It took years for COTA to grow, and behind the “DTS” mania, last year’s race in Austin attracted more than 300,000 people in three days. The US will have three races in 2023 when the Las Vegas Strip is added to the F1 calendar.

The uproar is “mega”, said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

“The city is publicized – are you saying that?” Wolff said. “Formula 1 is all around, the number of guest requests we have is amazing. I think we’ve finally landed in North America. “

Traffic was limited to 85,000 per day in an effort to create a world-class experience without long waits for concessions and the freedom to roam vast grounds. The cable car can take guests from the port to the beach club, where Post Malone met the F1 qualification.

However, there were hiccups, from crowded pedestrian bridges, long point-to-point walks under the hot Florida sun, and heavy traffic around the stadium. Some teams were upset on Friday by the experience of guests at the Paddock Club, which cost $ 11,000 for a three-day ticket.

Brown warned to wait for the checkerboard flag before judging the first races in Miami.

“Having a good first-year event is a challenge to make everything right, given the size, scope and novelty,” Brown said. “But when you look at Austin, after 10 years, they had a record attendance last year. Silverstone has been around for over 50 years and it’s already sold out. So I think it’s going to be a great event and then it will be sustainable.” over the decades – I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s definitely possible.

“Let’s do it right, let’s do a good show for the fans and I think there’s a huge amount of tracks.”

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