An “estimated 275,000 people” attended this year’s F1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix at the International Miami Autodrome this weekend. Friday’s crowd “seemed more middle-income and younger than Saturday or Sunday,” and it was likely because Friday featured the event’s “cheapest one-day pass.” Saturday’s “full-house crowd, which battled intermittent rain but had the benefit of cloudy skies to keep the heat away, was a bit more of an older, high-income crew.” The Miami Grand Prix said 60% of fans attending the races “are Floridians,” and 80% of those fans “are from South Florida.” Miami GP Managing Partner Tom Garfinkel said the traffic issues around the event “are largely caused by construction on the Turnpike and there are talks to alleviate the situation in the future.” Anecdotally it “seems more people were actually watching the race this year than just coming out to party.” It “seems more people attending the race are becoming racing fans” (SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL, 5/4).
Driver Oscar Piastri ended up taking the checkered flag, “but the real winner was the event itself.” Garfinkel noted there are “no plans” to move to racing after dark right now, but organizers “have done enough homework to know that installing lights would cost in the neighborhood of” $15M-$20M. Race fans “care about two things: The first is knowing there will be a race they can attend,” and 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” (PALM BEACH POST, 5/4)…