Motorsports
Oscar Piastri takes F1 Grand Prix, but Miami is real winner
Miami Grand Prix to feature drivable F1 cars made out of LEGOs
Ever wonder what a F1 care made out of LEGOs would look like? Well the Miami Grand Prix has you covered as these unveil these drivable cars ahead of Sunday’s race.
Sports Pulse
- Formula 1 and Miami have agreed to a 10-year extension, ensuring the Miami Grand Prix will continue through 2041.
- The possibility of a night race is being discussed, although there are no immediate plans.
- This year’s Grand Prix featured exciting racing, including Oscar Piastri’s third consecutive win and close battles throughout the field.
MIAMI GARDENS — Tom Garfinkel, managing partner of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, wouldn’t say who had the idea first. No matter. The bigger point, really, is that both sides came to an understanding long before anyone was under the gun to make a commitment.
Miami wanted F1 for the long haul.
F1 wanted Miami for the long haul.
Oscar Piastri ended up taking the checkered flag in this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, but the real winner was the event itself.
Is a nighttime Miami Grand Prix a possibility someday?
When officials announced a 10-year extension assuring there would be a Formula 1 race in South Florida at least through 2041, it was nearly akin to the Miami Dolphins giving first-round draft pick Kenneth Grant an extension on the rookie contract he hasn’t even signed yet. Think about it: It isn’t until next year’s Grand Prix that the two sides will hit the midpoint of their first contract.
“Securing that long-term extension here kind of tells the world, ‘OK, we’re here in the U.S., we’re here in Miami, we’re going to be here for a long time and we’re committed to this endeavor,” Garfinkel said hours before the weekend’s sold-out main event.
“I think having the extension allows us to invest more into the property, whether that is potentially the very preliminary discussions right now — whether to have a night race or not.”
Before anyone jumps to conclusions on racing after dark, Garfinkel added, “There’s no plans to do that right now.” Maybe not, but Garfinkel and his team have done enough homework to know that installing lights would cost in the neighborhood of $15 million to $20 million.
Garfinkel was orchestrating the weekend with an aching back, but race fans should be happy to know everything else about the situation has never seemed healthier, whether we’re talking on the track and off.
Grand Prix weekend offered no shortage of storylines
Fact is, race fans care about two things: The first is knowing there will be a race they can attend. The second is knowing the race will be worth watching. The weekend proved that not only is Item No. 1 secure, so too Item No. 2.
Last year everyone showed up expecting Max Verstappen to win. When he didn’t, it added an element of surprise to the F1 series that had long been lacking. Now? Piastri’s win was his third straight, but you still could make a case for Piastri, Lando Norris or Verstappen at any given time. That includes the Sprint support race in Miami that managed to cram about 81 laps of drama into an 18-lap dash.
Piastri took the lead for good in the Grand Prix on Lap 14 of the 57-lap race, but there was plenty of side-by-side battling going on as drivers jockeyed behind him. That included Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. At one point, Hamilton did nothing to disguise his unhappiness with the team’s strategy over the radio, instructing those on the other end to “have a tea break.”
Victory assured, Piastri climbed from his car and celebrated by doing The Griddy, the touchdown dance favored by NFL players, in order to settle a bet. Piastri was goaded into it after meeting Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. Problem was Piastri didn’t anticipate he’d win, so he didn’t bother to rehearse. It showed.
Square in the middle of the weekend’s action was Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old who set the track record in Sprint qualifying, then proved it was no fluke when he bumped Piastri out of the No. 3 slot on the starting grid for the Grand Prix, where he placed a respectable sixth.
Antonelli was so busy setting firsts this weekend, you had to know he’s not going away anytime soon. Antonelli will be only 34 when Miami’s extension runs its course. That’s still is five years younger than Hamilton.
Speaking of the dominant, world-champion drivers, spend no time feeling sorry for Verstappen. Even though he won the first two runnings of the Miami Grant Prix but finished fourth this go-round, he still came away hearing congratulations. He and girlfriend Kelly Piquet welcomed their first child together, daughter Lily, last week. Then Max hopped on his private plane, flew to South Florida with little time to get reacquainted with the 19-turn circuit, and claimed the Grand Prix pole anyway.
Lego cars turn F1 drivers into kids again
This year’s event included a wrinkle that brought a smile to everyone’s face. More than 125 Miami Gardens students attended a Q&A session with drivers, then were surprised at the unveiling of life-sized Lego models of actual Formula 1 cars. The kids weren’t the only ones acting like kids. A couple of hours before the Grand Prix, F1 drivers hopped in the electrically-powered Lego cars and did a parade lap around the circuit at a blistering 20-odd mph.
Hamilton called it the most fun parade lap they’ve ever had despite “some of the dirtiest driving” by rivals. George Russell admitted that Norris was irked at him over a crash in their Legomobiles. The spirit was contagious.
All for an F1 series that spent most of the 1990s racing anywhere but in the United States. You could say things changed after Liberty Media bought F1 in 2016. Not only is Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series creating a new set of fans, but June 27 will see the world premiere of “F1,” starring Brad Pitt and made by filmmakers responsible for “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Pitt’s car for the film was on display all weekend at Hard Rock Stadium. If there was one aspect of this year’s event that left no one smiling, it’s traffic around the stadium moving at about the same pace as Pitt’s car, which wasn’t going anywhere. Traffic was exacerbated by lane closures and construction on the adjacent Florida Turnpike. Even F1 drivers griped about it.
Yet another aspect of the event that had a distinct “Miami” feel, you could say. But it was the exception, not the rule.
The Miami Grand Prix is here to stay. The Miami Open tennis tournament has been a success. Now it’s up to Stephen Ross’ other property — a certain local NFL team — to match the pace the Miami Grand Prix and F1 have set.
“If we can build a great event around it that’s authentically Miami and unique and different than any other event, then hopefully that’s something people say, ‘Well, that’s one on the calendar I want to go to every year,’ ” Garfinkel said.
Every year until 2041, it seems.Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.