Miami Formula One Project is Back on Track After Approval

For a fairly long time, Formula One has bee pursuing a potential second races in the United States. Soon, they zeroed in on the city of Miami in Florida, though there was a bit of a fight to keep it there.

Now, there is some good news for Formula One and Liberty Media in terms of their efforts. As it turns out, the sport will be able to organise a grand prix in Miami after receiving mayoral approval. However, initially, it was not all smooth sailing, with numerous hurdles to navigate.

The original plans for an F1 race would run around the grounds of the Hard Rock Stadium. Unfortunately, the Miami-Dade commission did not approve and were not budging from their stance.

Secondly, there was an outcry from local groups over suggestions of closing sections of the road. So, there was a compromise and it was decided that road closures for the street circuit portion of the circuit layout would be prohibited.

Following another vote, it was decided that the race can only go ahead after a process of public hearings.

Now, all that is in the past and it seems that plans for the Grand Prix could move ahead. According to the Miami Herald, the Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez has bailed out the organisers by vetoing the problematic votes.

“I remain committed to respecting the residents of Miami Gardens, and I remain committed to finding a way to bring this world-class event to our community,” Gimenez said.

Gimenez wanted to give the dissenters time to reach a mutual agreement with the Miami Dolphins American football team and owner Stephen Ross. Ross was keen to bring the race to Miami area in a potential 10-year deal. The first race would be run at the Hard Rock Stadium in 2021 and held annually after that.