Why Miami’s first F1 race could never live up to its mega hype

The standout performer of the Miami Grand Prix for me wasn’t Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc or Esteban Ocon – although they were all pretty mega. It was Martin Brundle, whose TV grid walk for Sky Sports F1 came as close as possible to making some sense of the insanity of this bonkers, celeb-packed new event on the Formula 1 schedule.

As he bounced between the likes of the Williams tennis sisters, Pharrell Williams and (not) Patrick Mahomes (who turned out to be Duke basketball’s potential NBA star Paolo Banchero), it was an incredible piece of entertaining television. Brundle’s air of mild bemusement by the whole spectacle really made it feel like you were along for the bizarre ride where you hadn’t a clue what would happen next.

This could only happen here. I’ve lived in Miami for over seven years now, so it was no surprise to me when I heard about the fake marina, the cable cars over the track or the Hard Rock Beach Club (complete with basking fake mermaids) – where they paved a parking lot and put up a paradise.

It was so very Miami, a car chase that was only missing Don Johnson in his Ferrari Daytona (and remember, was fake too).

PLUS: How imperfect Miami offered F1’s drivers a unique challenge

For all the gripes, though, about the ‘Americanization’ of F1, the one thing that wasn’t touched was the sporting spectacle. No attempts were made to jazz-up that side of things, no timeouts or dancers on the track during the safety-car period. Sure, there were world-class DJs in the house, spinning their tunes between sessions, but pretty much everything in these parts happens with a thumping backbeat anyways.

And so what if Pirelli gave the podium finishers football helmets to wear instead of caps at an NFL stadium? They did Stetsons at COTA, Ushankas in Sochi and Sombreros in Mexico City.

For anyone present at the Hard Rock Stadium, getting the chance to…