Formula 1 remains “actively engaged” in putting on a future Miami Grand Prix, outgoing CEO Chase Carey confirms.
When Liberty Media first took over the sport back in 2017, adding a second American race to the calendar was seen as a top priority, with the Floridian city identified as the ideal destination.
However, the race has been met with strong opposition from locals, resulting in delays and a relocating of the proposed circuit from downtown Florida to the area surrounding Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.
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This year, progress on bringing the race to fruition has seemingly stopped entirely, but Carey, who’ll be replaced by Stefano Domenicali as of January 1, insists it remains a goal.
“On Miami, we’re still actively engaged and we actually did have a conversation with the Dolphins Group leadership a few weeks ago,” he told Wall Street analysts last month.
“I think both of us decided that when the coronavirus issues sort of came to the forefront and with the uncertainty associated with it we were probably better off going a little slower and trying to get to a place where we had a bit more visibility on how this is going to play out.
“We’re probably as excited as ever about the opportunity in Miami, but we both felt the prudent path forward was to make sure we’re confident.
“I think for a new race, we want to launch in the right way, and we thought the right thing was to try and go a little slower until we had a little bit better visibility, whether it’s vaccines, or treatments, or tests or what have you.
“And, ultimately, growing the sport in the US, as we said all along, it’s not a 12-month proposition, it’s a longer-term proposition,” he added.
“It’s more important we do it right than fast and the virus obviously represents challenges, until you have a better sense of it.
“So certainly, we’re still engaged, but I think we’ll continue to sort of monitor the broader environment and see when it makes sense to move to the next phase.”
F1 has already confirmed a record 23-race calendar for 2021 without Miami, but with Carey previously hinting at a 24-race schedule in the future, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Miami is top of the list for that potential spot.