Will.I.Am conducts orchestra on the grill before the F1 You love me Grand Prix. (Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Formula 1 stars were in the warm Florida sun mingling with LL Cool J, the celebrity A-list assigned to host an elaborate pre-competition ceremony ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
The celebrations in the 30 minutes leading up to the start of the race featured a new single from Will.I.AM called ‘The Formula’ created especially for F1. The performer conducted an orchestral performance – yes, there was a symphony assembled on the starting grid – that played his new tune as LL Cool J hyped each of the 20 riders as he introduced them to the crowd.
It was all so very American. And it annoyed many of F1’s stars.
George Russell, the director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, was the first to make the matter public after Sunday’s race. THE Mercedes driver said the drivers met two days before the race and expressed their disappointment at the pageantry and circumstances, which far exceeded the normal lap of a circuit waving to fans as the traditional pre-race activity.
Russell said it was hot as they waited for LL Cool J to call their name. And the drivers were moments away from a 57-lap race where they would rather use their time mentally preparing for twists and turns.
“I guess it’s the ‘American way’ of doing things in sport,” said the British driver. “I’m here to run. I’m not here for the show, I’m here to win. I don’t think there’s any other sport in the world where 30 minutes before you go about your business, you’re out there in the sun, all the cameras on you and you make a bit of a show of it. I can appreciate that in show business.”
“We’re open to changes, but I guess we wouldn’t want to see it every weekend.”
As the list of grouchy drivers grew later by Max Verstappen third win of the season, F1 said on Monday that the drivers had indeed expressed concerns about the timing of pre-race activities but agreed to go for it. A spokesman said F1 would continue discussions with drivers about special pre-race shows, scheduled for no more than seven events this season and all tailored to the specific race.
F1 promised further discussions with the drivers’ association and stressed the only real complaint was the ‘extra time’ taken.
Seven times champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes was one of the few drivers who enjoyed the activities. He actually started laughing before addressing the issue.
“I think it’s great that the sport is always growing and evolving and not just doing the same things they’ve done in the past,” Hamilton said. “They are trying new things. They are trying to make the show better, always, and I fully support that. I mean gosh, I grew up listening to LL Cool J and LL Cool J was there. This was nice.”
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, who returned to F1 after being sidelined for three seasons, said he enjoyed the introductions: “I actually had goosebumps. I really liked that part.
The reality is that this is how big events are in the US, where the Super cup it’s almost as much spectacle as it is the NFL’s flagship game. The Indianapolis 500 is actually called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and includes an elaborate pre-race show that includes the Purdue marching band, singing of “(Back Home Again in) Indiana” and presentations that differ from each other race.
An IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway last year featured top musical acts before and after each of the two races; multiple riders were in the crowd at the Gwen Stefani show even though they had to race within the hour.
The Daytona 500 is NASCAR bigger show, but all NASCAR races include elaborate pre-race entertainment with concerts, celebrities giving the command to start the engines, and usually a military overpass.
With two more US stops this year (Austin, Texas and Las Vegas), F1 drivers should probably expect the extravagant. The promoter of the Circuit of the Americas in Texas has been upping the game for the past three years with celebrities and Shaquille O’Neal delivers the winning trophy in a custom Cadillac Eldorado Convertible nicknamed “The Badillac”.
The Las Vegas race, which is expected to be the most expensive for spectators in the 23-race schedule, is sure to be filled with Sin City’s showgirls and superstars. F1 will likely spare no expense to make it the biggest event seen in decades.
It’s what fans pay to see, whether the drivers like it or not. After all, social media was on fire with Sunday onlookers shocked by $250 watermelon tomato salad or the quality of a $42 wagyu beef sandwich sold at a kiosk.
“At first I thought this was a different currency,” wrote one fan on a social media post showing a menu of offerings at Sunday’s race.
The Miami Dolphins own the Miami Grand Prix and team CEO Tom Garfinkel, managing partner of the event, acknowledged they may try to make it a night race going forward to avoid the heat. The team of him overcame the complaints that followed last year’s inaugural race—long water lines, little shade, a campus too large to navigate, and subpar track surface—to put on a much smoother show lo last weekend of year 2.
With all the updates came the elaborate pre-race show. Garfinkel said he wasn’t concerned that three US races would dilute F1’s growing North American market, and said each of the three events should focus on its own identity.
“I think they all have different virtues and reasons for leaving,” Garfinkel said. “I think the thing that is the same is that it’s the same cars and the same drivers, the same competition. Everything around can be different. Montreal is very different from Singapore”.
For the record, there was a sell out crowd of 90,766 on Sunday and F1 said Miami attracted 270,000 spectators over the three day weekend. It was the organizers’ desire to be better than the opening race in Miami last year that led to the elaborate pre-race show.
“This year, it’s like, ‘OK, we want to try and be perfect. We’re not just trying to make it,” Garfinkel said. “We can just make an investment and do it. I say: “We need to spend more money than originally planned.” We want to make it best in class.’ And (Dolphins owner Stephen Ross) said, ‘Go and do it.’”
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ap car racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing AND https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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