Home

F1

NFL Dolphins’ Rejected $7.9 Billion Bid Was Compensated With Desired F1 Privilege by the FIA

Published 02/12/2023, 12:48 PM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

FIA and its president Mohammed ben Sulayem recently were in hot waters over the valuation of F1. Ben Sulayem’s comment on the public forum about the valuation didn’t go down well with F1’s owners Liberty Media as the relationship between them took a bad turn. However, this could have been an entirely different story if Stephen Ross took over the sport back in 2015.

NFL powerhouse Miami Dolphins owner Ross once launched a bid of $7.9 billion to buy a controlling stake in F1. However, that bid was rejected, and later on, Liberty Media took over as the owner of F1. Cut to a few years after, Ross and his Dolphins in return got the right to run one of the United States’ races, Miami Grand Prix instead, and this would have been a great compensation.

via Reuters

In a recent podcast with VF1 on Spotify, F1 expert Vincenzo Landino shared, “The Dolphins are pretty much managing that [The Miami race around the Hard Rock Stadium.] The track there it’s purpose-built for F1 or for racing in general. I don’t think they built that for any races to happen like this was built for F1 to happen.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Also Stephen Ross, owner of the Dolphins who owns all of Miami GP and stuff, he backed down from a bid, bidding on F1 and the rumor goes that repayment was that he got the GP, that he was able to get the Miami GP in places. So, I don’t think that for at least in 5-7 years we’re gonna see any movement there on the Miami GP,” Landino further stated.

The Hard Rock Stadium and Miami International Autodrome hosted the first-ever race in 2022. The race received mixed reactions overall. However, it received heavy criticism over its fake arena. F1 is to return to Miami in 2023.

Miami GP organizers look for major expansion

For an upgraded F1 experience, Miami GP organizers are to increase the capacity of the grandstand seats for the upcoming 2023 race. It is believed there will be an addition of 3,000 seats to take the total capacity to 56,000.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Giving the reason for the increase, Tyler Epp, President of the Miami Grand Prix, told F1, “Our first race last May was a sell-out success in which more than 240,000 spectators visited the Miami International Autodrome for an unforgettable experience.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Due to overwhelming demand, we have been maximizing the venue to increase grandstand capacity, expand hospitality, and to improve the experience for our General Admission Campus Pass ticket holders, to give the opportunity for even more fans to experience the incredible spectacle of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix,” further stated the president of Miami GP.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: F1 Miami GP Faces Backlash Amid Lavish Opening Ceremony Launching Party-Esque Race Weekend

Furthermore, the special features of the Hard Rock Beach Club and The Yacht Club at the MIA Marina will see significant expansion for the upcoming race this year. All in all, Miami is ready to throw its challenge to Las Vegas in 2023.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sabyasachi Biswas

1,000Articles

One take at a time

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 and NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. He has completed his Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Sabyasachi is an ardent Red Bull and Max Verstappen fan and has been following the sport for over a decade now.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh