Due to its location at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, F1’s newest racetrack – designed and overseen by UK firm Apex Circuit Design – has had to fit in with its environment.
From the busy stadium usage side, the Miami Open tennis tournament required that a stretch from Turn 3 to Turn 5 was Astroturfed to prevent any potential damage from spectators, and plastic track protection covers were placed for hospitality truck deliveries as the courts were positioned in various areas around the track.
While the Miami Open ended on 3 April, allowing Apex’s crew to regain full access to their entire F1 track again, another impact that won’t go away is from the natural world.
The venue’s owner, real estate magnate and Miami Dolphins NFL boss Stephen Ross, is very particular about how his stadium fits in and looks in its surroundings.
Miami track build overview
Photo by: Charles Bradley
“The owner, Mr Ross, loves greenery and he loves his landscaping,” said Apex’s project director Sam Worthy. “The stadium itself makes a very concentrated effort to have as much greenery as possible, especially when it comes to old-growth trees.
“So all the trees that overhang our track naturally, we’ve tried to keep as many branches in place and retain the leaf coverage over it. It certainly looks very nice; not many circuits have anything like this, and we’ve discussed it with the FIA – who’ve been here on three separate track walks. They’re also happy to see it.
“One challenge has been to physically fit the debris fencing around them, and at the same time having procedures to ensure there are no loose branches that could fall.”
Many of these trees in question are on the 199mph back stretch between Turns 16 and 17. Running parallel to the 1.2km straight is a waterway named Snake Creek that stretches to Maule Lake in North Miami Beach – and wherever you see water in this area, you’ll likely find feral Green Iguanas that can grow up to six feet in…
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