Miami could host a Formula 1 race in 2019

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
A Formula 1 street race in Miami in 2019? It certainly seems possible. (Autosport)
A Formula 1 street race in Miami in 2019? It certainly seems possible. (Autosport)

Could the United States be getting a second Formula 1 race? Miami certainly hopes so.

F1 issued a statement Wednesday morning detailing its desire to host a race in the Florida city in 2019. The plans aren’t official and still need to be voted upon by a city commission.

“Earlier today the City of Miami Commission took an important step by adding an item to their upcoming agenda, that if approved, will make way to bring Formula 1 to downtown Miami next season,” a statement from F1 managing director of commercial operations Sean Bratches said. “We appreciate the community’s interest in hosting a Formula 1 race and look forward to working with local officials and stakeholders to bring this vision to life.”

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross would be the promoter of the event. Formula 1 said it hopes the race would be held in October. That would align with the series’ current United States date at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

“Miami is a first-class global city and Formula 1 is a first-class global brand,” Ross said in a statement. “In cooperation with the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County, I am confident we can deliver yet another global event that will be a destination for people from around the world and drive economic value to South Florida. From football and soccer to tennis and motorsports, Miami deserves only the best in music, food, art, fashion, and sports and entertainment, and that is exactly what we plan on delivering with a Formula 1 race.”

A spokesperson for the city said the commission will vote next week on a motion for the city manager to negotiate a contract for an F1 race. The proposed contract would be for 10 years and is co-sponsored by the city’s mayor.

It’s unclear if Miami would be an additional race on the Formula 1 schedule or replace a current race. The series most recently raced in Azerbaijan on Sunday in a thoroughly entertaining Grand Prix won by Lewis Hamilton.

Formula 1 races four times in the Western Hemisphere. The series comes to Montreal after Monaco in June and then returns in the fall for races in Texas, Mexico City and Brazil.

After years on NBC Sports Network, Formula 1 races are now broadcast on ESPN in the United States. The race coverage is provided by Great Britain’s Sky Sports and are commercial-free broadcasts. The contrast in quality and depth of Sky’s Formula 1 races and Fox’s NASCAR broadcasts is staggering.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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