Welcome to Miami, where F1's sunshine party draws a crowd every sport craves
The opening blast of the three meetings now held in the US is a shop window for the sport with three teams, Racing Bulls, Sauber and Ferrari boasting special liveries for the event this weekend. The flamingo pink of the RB is very much making a splash but the clunky corporate blue addition to the Scuderia's scarlet has fallen very flat with fans.
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Naysayers may have disliked Miami's emphasis on being a show, of presenting a weekend of entertainment where the food and beverages (or F&B as it is bafflingly, for the uninitiated, referred to here) were as fundamental as the racing. Where the atmosphere went hand in hand with the competition. It was perhaps the first of the 'event' races F1 wanted to promote and like it or not, it has succeeded with numbers around this race telling their own story.
The atmosphere here in the general admission – campus – area of the increasingly popular and affordable tickets away from the high-end hospitality which dominates all the media, is one of unadulterated enjoyment, shot through with the glorious absence of world-weary cynicism. There is an air of, whisper it, hedonism; not all racing must be accompanied by sombre beard-scratching from a grassy bank in the rain.
This atmosphere is not least informed by the make up of the audience. From information from sales, admittedly with the caveat that the data refers only to the purchaser rather than all the ticket holders, Miami is reaching demographics every sport eyes with lustful ambition.
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'We've got the high end luxury buyer that we've really cultivated a relationship with and built their trust,' says Tyler Epp, the Miami GP president. 'But at the same time, we've got some of our entry level motorsport fan data that's telling us we're also a motorsport event for the people who are intrigued and interested and just want to come and see the cars for the first time.'
It is these new fans that have led a push for the new single-day tickets and the three-day campus tickets. It is also, most significantly, a young audience.
'The base is growing most aggressively from what we've seen in the 20- and 30-year-old buyer,' Epp adds. 'Our data does not tell us that this is an audience of 30 to 60-year-old white men, that's not what we're seeing now. Certainly they're here but it's a much more eclectic diverse group than that and part of that's partially because we're in Miami, which is such a wonderfully diverse market.'
Their data is corroborated trackside in both age and ethnic diversity, while the gender differential is also notable, with the race easing toward what might be a 50-50 split in forthcoming years.
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'We're tracking about 40% female to 60% male right now,' he says. 'That's on the buyer data and I can also say that the female audience is certainly younger than the male audience. It skews younger.'
These are the demographics the sport needs to build on the success it has enjoyed in the US with Drive to Survive and for all that the sound and fury of Las Vegas might have appeared to have outshone Miami of late it is undeniable that the race at the Hard Rock Stadium is pulling in the numbers.
Last year when McLaren's Lando Norris won his first F1 race here it drew record viewing figures for the US of 3.1m and Miami now holds the top three live US TV audiences in F1 history. While the season as a whole was pulling in an average of 1.11m per race. Which, while still small in comparison to NFL and NBA, are considered strong numbers as the sport builds its presence.
Epp is in good position to judge how the sport fares in comparative terms. He has worked both trackside and team side in Nascar, IndyCar and sports cars before moving into baseball for four and a half years and then putting in almost nine years with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL; he is convinced the future remains bright.
'We can be very bullish about Formula One in the United States,' he said. 'I view it as solidified, here to stay and looking at continuous growth, not necessarily ebbs and flows. I think the United States sports ecosystem in general ebbs and flows a bit with competitiveness and competition in particular markets but as a whole we feel really, really good about the state of Formula One.'
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
I'm just useless, says Hamilton after team-mate's pole
Hungarian Grand Prix Venue: Hungaroring Dates: 1-3 August Race start: 14:00 BST on Sunday Coverage: Live commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app Lewis Hamilton said he was "just useless" after qualifying 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix while his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc took pole position. Hamilton failed to progress beyond the second qualifying session after struggling for pace compared to Leclerc all weekend. Leclerc took Ferrari's first grand prix pole position of the year, although Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race from pole at the second event of the season. A downcast Hamilton said: "I drove terribly. It is what it is." He added: "I'm just useless," and said his lack of pace was "nothing to do with the car". In Hungary, Hamilton was 0.247secs slower than Leclerc in the second part of qualifying, in which he was knocked out and the Monegasque was sixth fastest. Hamilton is 12-5 down to Leclerc on their qualifying head-to-head this year, at an average pace difference of 0.146 seconds. His form on Saturdays in 2025 continues the struggles in qualifying Hamilton had against George Russell in his final year at Mercedes last season. Even so, his result in Hungary bucks a trend in which he has generally been much closer to Leclerc since the seventh race of the season. Belgium last weekend, in which he was knocked out in the first session in qualifying for both the sprint and the grand prix after making mistakes, had been an exception to that run. Although clearly frustrated by his own performance, Hamilton congratulated Leclerc on his pole. "It's amazing for the team that the car is capable of being on pole," the seven-time champion said, "so big congrats to Charles." Leclerc came into the weekend talking about how he had never gelled with the Hungaroring during his career, but he ends Saturday with arguably the most surprising and unexpected pole position of the year. Leclerc had been third fastest behind the McLarens in all three practice sessions, but the world champions appeared out of reach. However, a change in wind direction between the second and final parts of qualifying threw McLaren off their game and opened the door for Leclerc, who beat championship leader Oscar Piastri to pole with Lando Norris third. Leclerc said he "didn't understand" because the car felt bad throughout qualifying. But he and the McLaren drivers put the shift in competitiveness down to a change in weather conditions, when not only did the wind change direction by 180 degrees, but the strength of the wind, the temperature and humidity level all changed. "In Q3, the conditions changed for everybody," Leclerc said. "I basically just did a clean lap, which was a really good lap because those conditions were really difficult to get everything right, and I was really happy about the lap. "It is probably the most surprising pole position I have ever done, so I'm very happy." Leclerc said that revisions to the car at the last race in Belgium had helped his confidence when pushing to the limit over one qualifying lap. Ferrari introduced a new rear suspension which in addition to being aimed at allowing them to run the car lower without risking damaging the floor to the extent that car failed its post-race legality tests was also intended to improve driveability when combined with a new floor introduced three races ago in Austria. Leclerc said: "The upgrade in Spa definitely helped me to extract a little bit more. "Before Spa, I had to set up the car in a very, very extreme way early on in the season to try and extract something out of this car in qualifying. "It was making the car very, very unpredictable and very difficult whenever you go for the 0.1-0.15secs in Q3. It was extremely difficult to get it right. And if you just overstepped a little bit the limits of that previous car, then you will pay the price a lot. "Whereas with this car, you can play a little bit more with the limits, and if you go over the limits a little bit, you just don't lose as much. So the car is more predictable, which is a good thing." Spectacular Leclerc takes surprise Hungarian Grand Prix pole Verstappen says he will race with Red Bull in 2026 Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questions Can Leclerc beat the McLarens to win? Beating the McLarens to pole position is one thing, winning the race is another, as McLaren's race pace has been the team's strongest suit this year. Leclerc said: "There is some rain around and if it's wet it's easier to overtake but it is always better to be starting first, especially on this track." Piastri, who heads into the race 16 points ahead of Norris in the championship, described the result of qualifying as "bizarre and somewhat frustrating". But he said he was "pretty confident" he could win from second on the grid, as he did last year, when Norris was on pole. "Our pace has been good," Piastri said. "But Charles has been quick all weekend in certain sessions. So it is a very difficult track to overtake on. And yeah, it's not going to be the easiest place to try and regain the lead." Norris said: "There could be some rain, which normally makes things more interesting. But we always have, at least in the race, a bit more of an advantage. "But our main competitor over the last four or five races has been Charles, and it's been the Ferrari. So if there was anyone else going to be on pole today, it was going to be Charles. And if there's anyone that's going to make our life tough tomorrow, it's going to be the same guy. "So, yeah, we'll see. It's a long race. Things can happen and hopefully the rain can be on our side, maybe."
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
How Charles Leclerc snared shock Ferrari Hungary pole: ‘Today I don't understand F1'
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Charles Leclerc has built a reputation for producing some very special qualifying laps throughout his Formula One career. He's started over three times as many races from pole (27) as those he has won (eight), often usurping quicker cars with some one-lap brilliance at the very end of qualifying. Advertisement But on Saturday at the Hungaroring, even Leclerc was baffled by what he'd just done. Two days ago, he was talking down his chances, noting how this was a track he'd never really gelled with. His best result in Hungary is fourth. Now, he's just scored Ferrari's first 2025 pole, defeating the dominant McLarens at a narrow track where qualifying is crucial given the lack of overtaking opportunities in the race. 'What?!' Leclerc replied to his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, after being told the result. He laughed to himself afterwards. 'Mamma mia. My God!' The bemusement initially hidden by Leclerc's helmet remained etched on his face after he hopped out of his car and celebrated with his Ferrari teammates. 'Today, I don't understand anything in Formula One!' he said in parc ferme, explaining how it'd been a struggle to advance through qualifying, let alone be in the mix at the front. 'It's probably the most surprising pole position that I've ever done,' Leclerc added in the FIA news conference. 'I really thought we would struggle to get into the top five. So I'm very happy.' The result for Leclerc was Ferrari's brightest moment since Lewis Hamilton's shock sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix back in March, a result that has since become increasingly anomalous in the context of Ferrari's poor 2025 season and Hamilton's own struggles. The seven-time world champion's shock Q2 exit in Hungary confined him to 12th on the grid. Afterwards, he called himself 'useless.' Leclerc was only sixth in Q2, hardly looking like a threat to the McLarens that had finished first and second in each session except Q1 so far this weekend. But things swiftly turned around. This was courtesy of the wind direction, which was picking up as a few dark clouds gathered near the circuit, with some drivers even reporting a sprinkling of rain as Q2 got underway. 'It always sounds so pathetic blaming things on the wind, but the wind basically did a 180 from Q2 to Q3,' said McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who qualified second, a mere 0.026 seconds off Leclerc's time. Advertisement But the wind sensitivity of modern-day F1 cars, where every millimeter is designed so carefully with maximum aerodynamic efficiency and performance in mind, means this can have a huge impact. As the wind increased and altered course, the braking and corner references each driver had built up through practice and the first two stages of qualifying all went out of the window. 'You just have to reset whatever you've learned in Q1 and Q2 because everything feels different,' Leclerc explained. 'The way you need to take the corners is different.' It led to a series of differences for Leclerc between his fastest lap in Q2, a 1m15.455s, and his pole lap that was just 0.083 seconds faster. Leclerc ended up braking later than he had before into Turns 1, 4 and, importantly, 5, which was the point where he started to gain time on his previous effort. He carryied far more speed through the right-hander. Despite struggling through Turn 2, going a bit wide as he understeered as a result of the wind, he was then able to swing time back on Piastri's best time in Q3 (his first) on the run of medium-speed corners from Turn 8 to Turn 11, making up around two-tenths on the McLaren. Leclerc's slightly lower downforce specification also led to gains in a straight line that swung things in his favor. This may prove critical in a dry race, given how hard it is to pass here. Piastri said the change in conditions felt 'bizarre and somewhat frustrating' behind the wheel. 'It was just weird,' he said. 'My first lap (in Q3) felt terrible because I was just pushing too much.' Having been 0.46 seconds slower here than his best time in Q2 – where McLaren appeared supreme – Piastr then went even slower on his second Q3 lap. Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, told Sky Sports F1 he thought Piastri and Norris 'might have been a bit cautious' with their final laps due to the changing conditions. He noted how the changing wind made each corner feel different. Advertisement 'We went four-tenths slower than in Q2, while Leclerc went faster,' Stella said. 'He deserved the pole position.' This was where Leclerc's innate ability to hustle a car through a qualifying lap and extract every last ounce of pace made all the difference. But that ease of finding time in qualifying is something he's struggled up until recently this year, chiefly due to the struggles with Ferrari's 2025 car that has left him requiring an 'extreme' setup at times to get the most car performance. Just because it goes quicker doesn't mean that it feels nice or natural to drive. Ferrari's big step forward came courtesy of the updated rear suspension it introduced at Spa. This is targeted at solving the ride height issue that contributed to its double disqualification from the main China race. It has also eased some of the setup issues for Leclerc, giving him the chance to unlock more of that natural speed. Leclerc thought another small yet significant factor was how he'd done his first run in Q3 on a used set of tires instead of going for fresh softs. This left him P6 in the provisional order, but it meant while Piastri and Norris knew the track was feeling different and were struggling to adapt, Leclerc thought it was purely due to his worn tires. 'So I just went all-in for the second run in Q3, and it went all well, even though it felt bad,' he said. Snaring pole position away from the McLarens in qualifying is one thing. To try and defeat the two papaya cars, especially without Hamilton near the front to help him, is going to be a huge ask for Leclerc and Ferrari. The McLarens have typically been stronger over the race distances this season, managing their tires much better toward the end of each stint. Piastri, unsurprisingly, said he still felt 'pretty confident' of fighting for victory on Sunday, despite joking the only other spot you can overtake besides Turn 1 here is the pit lane. Advertisement That difficulty in overtaking plays into Leclerc's hands. There is not much grip off the racing line, making it hard to get moves to stick without a big pace delta. Protecting the lead into the first corner will be critical. 'The start and Turn 1 will be key,' Leclerc said. 'I have no idea how it will go, but one thing for sure is that I'll do absolutely everything to keep that first place. If we manage to do that, that should make our life easier for the rest of the race.' In what has been a strange season for Ferrari, its form swinging around the hype over Hamilton's move to wear red leading to inevitable scrutiny, Leclerc's magic lap for pole in Hungary will stand out as a moment to savor. If he can convert it into an unlikely win in Hungary, it may end up being regarded as a turning point in Ferrari's whole year.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Lewis Hamilton calls himself ‘useless' after F1 qualifying exit ahead of Hungarian Grand Prix
While Charles Leclerc was left joyful after securing pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton called himself 'useless' in the broadcast media pen, shouldering the blame for his Q2 exit. 'The team has no problem,' the seven-time Formula One world champion told Sky Sports. 'You've seen the car's on pole. So they probably need to change driver.' Advertisement It's yet another disappointing qualifying session for Hamilton, coming on the heels of being knocked out in Q1 last time out in Belgium (for both the sprint race and GP) while Leclerc qualified third for last Sunday's grand prix. His gap to Q3 was 0.015 seconds. The Ferrari teammates were 0.247 seconds apart in Q2 at Hungaroring on Saturday, and Hamilton qualified 12th, saying over the radio, 'Every time, every time.' Qualifying 12th may have come as a bit of a surprise to some, based on how Hamilton performed in practice. He was fifth fastest on the timesheets in FP1, sixth in FP2 and fourth in FP3. That is just practice, where teams are testing different aspects of the car, but the pace did look okay. But when asked by the written media whether he felt at all this weekend that he could have been in contention for a better qualifying result, Hamilton's answer was brutally simple: 'Not once this weekend.' He told F1 TV that 'nothing changed' with the car, and even when the written media asked whether it was the brakes, which has been an issue with him before, Hamilton said: 'Nothing to do with the car.' It likely boiled down to having a bad lap at the wrong time, but the self-critical tone and brief comments in his post-qualifying media appearances echoed similar notes as his final years with Mercedes, where he struggled in qualifying. Hamilton's start at Ferrari hasn't been the fairytale that most people anticipated, as McLaren is far ahead the rest of the grid. But the Briton has started getting close to Leclerc since Miami, the qualifying gap falling from around three-tenths of a second to a tenth on average. That being said, Leclerc holds the qualifying edge, with an overall 12-5 head-to-head. Aside from bringing home the sprint win at China, Hamilton also hasn't been able to have a race breakthrough yet after 13 grands prix, his highest GP finish being fourth and lowest being 10th in Australia and the disqualification in China (after his car and Leclerc's car both failed a post-race technical check). Advertisement Meanwhile, Leclerc has finished on the podium five times, the most recent being a third-place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton currently sits sixth in the drivers' standings, 30 points behind Leclerc and 157 off championship leader Oscar Piastri. Considering that overtaking is difficult at Hungaroring, it's likely that the gap between the Ferrari teammates will grow, with Leclerc in a prime position to add another podium finish to his tally as he starts ahead of the McLaren duo. And it all comes at a track where Hamilton holds the record for the most wins (8) and most pole positions (9). Additional reporting by Luke Smith.
