Miami F1 GP Plans On Hold Amid Corruption Rumours

Earlier, it had been reported that plans for an F1 race in Miami were well underway with the council set to vote on the issue. However, those plans seem to have hit a snag as the vote has been delayed.

As it turns out, there was a bribery charge levelled at F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches. According to a whistleblower, “Sean Bratches appears to be making an unlawful gift offer in order to influence the Mayor of Miami-Dade County.”

This was in reference to a leaked email where Bratches offered to host the Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos A Gimenez and “a couple friends”.

Now, as reported by F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, local lawmakers have seemingly cancelled moves for a 2020 Miami GP. They achieved this by delaying a vote of the Miami City Commission.

What this means is that Liberty Media’s plans to introduce a second Formula One race in the USA has hit a brick wall.

Inspite of the delays in voting, F1 CEO Chase Carey still insists that negotiations for a 2020 race are still on track.

Sean Bratches confirmed that F1 had “decided, in consultation with the Miami authorities, to postpone sign-off until later in the summer, with the aim of running the first Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix in the 2020 season”.

But with these corruption charges levelled at the sport, it remains to be seen how Formula One will work its way around the issue.

In the meantime, there are several possible venues vying for a position on the Formula One calendar in the future. Among them are Vietnam and even Cardiff, as reported by the Financial Times.

Even the streets of London has emerged as a leading contender, but many were surprised to hear of Cardiff’s bid.

For now though, F1 is preparing for its 1000th Formula One race to be held in Shanghai this weekend.