We are officially less than one month out from Formula One’s inaugural race in Miami, Florida, and we here at Jalopnik are wondering just what’s going on with the whole “track prep” thing. So, if you’re in the Miami region, we have a request: Head over to the track and show us what’s going on.
In case you need a reminder, the Miami Grand Prix will take place in and around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which is just north of Miami proper. The parking lot and private roads around the arena will be transformed into a state-of-the-art F1 circuit — or, that’s what F1 has been saying.
We here at Jalopnik have heard some rumors that track prep has been rolling a little slowly, but we’re not local to the area, so we can’t go check it out ourselves. If you’re willing to make the trek, we want to hear all about what you see. Are there grandstands yet? Can you get a sense of the track layout? Are there barriers up? Can you get a sense of where the pit buildings or VIP arrangements will be? Or does it just look like a normal old arena with nothing special going on?
It can be tough to evaluate the progress of a street circuit no matter where it’s located, since those particular tracks rely on public roads that large cities avoid shutting down until the last possible moment. But in Miami’s case, much of the track takes place within private grounds. Theoretically, track prep could be well underway.
Or... it could struggle. I can’t help but think back to the Miami ePrix during Formula E’s first season, which was a righteous disaster. It, too, was run around an arena — the FTX arena, to be exact, which is home to the Miami Heat. But that circuit was a disaster. Track prep wasn’t completed in time for FE’s one-day showing, so drivers weren’t actually able to take part in shakedowns or some practice sessions before the event.
Formula One is an entirely different beast than first-season FE, of course, but we’re still interested in seeing what’s going on out in Miami Gardens. Send us an email, comment with some photos — we want to know how things are going.