How well did Miami weather the second year F1 blues?

The biggest challenge for any new Formula 1 promoter is always its second race. A brand-new event on the calendar always attracts a huge buzz and fans can be in a rush to get hold of tickets for the latest grand prix on the schedule.

But it doesn’t take long for the novelty factor to wear off and year two often offers a reality check of what a grand prix’ strike potential is.

Time and again second year grands prix suffer a dip in audiences and promotors have to work extra hard to convince fans not to shift their interest to somewhere else that has become the next big thing.

Miami appeared not to have escaped this phenomenon, as it was pointed out in the weeks before the race that tickets were still available, and television shots over the weekend throughout practice showed empty grandstands.

After first-year criticisms of the fake Marina and high ticket prices, discounts and the impression the venue looked far from full at times fuelled talk that the Miami hype was over.

There is also the underlying impact that with two other US races on the F1 calendar, there was a big battle for identity.

And with Austin well established, and Las Vegas being promoted by F1 with a deal that potentially runs until 2032, it is Miami that faces the toughest challenge.

But there’s more than what meets the eye when it comes down to measuring the success of the 2023 Miami Grand Prix and key factors prove that the Miami’s sophomore year was not only successful but prosperous as well.

Selling out last minute due to increased ticket supply

While Miami GP tickets were completely sold out well before the inaugural race debuted in 2022, this year the tickets completely sold out much later because not all of the tickets were released at the same time on the market.

CEO of the Miami Dolphins and managing partner of the Miami GP Tom Garfinkel believes the demand for more tickets was there if they were available. However, he wanted to make sure people had an enjoyable experience without being overcrowded.

Speaking to selected media including Motorsport.com about the eventual sell out he said: “So what we do is we purposefully hold back tickets. We don’t just put all the tickets on the market at once, we hold them back and then we kind of bleed them out.

“We’ve added some campus passes this last week or so. Last year, we had 85,000 tickets sold and…