Miami Contract Extension

The Miami Grand Prix circuit has received the largest contract extension of any circuit on the F1 calendar in the build up to the Grand Prix weekend. Fomrula 1 president, Stefano Domenicali, said "In just three years, the Miami Grand Prix has established itself as one of the most important and spectacular events on our calendar, an extraordinary example of quality and vision that truly represents the spirit and ambition of Formula 1 in the United States". The Grand Prix has been extended beyond its 2031 deadline by 10 years, meaning it will remain on the calendar until 2041.

"Extending this agreement until 2041 is a strategic milestone of enormous importance, which strengthens our presence in America and consolidates the ever-deepening bond with out fan base there, which is constantly growing and passionate like never before", Domenicali went on to say. Managing partner of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Tom Garfinkel, added "Securing a 10-year extension with Formula 1 through 2041 is an extraordinary milestone for all of us at South Florida Motorsports and a true testament to the hard work of our team".

This extension comes at a time when Formula 1 are announcing their new Spanish Grand Prix circuit in Madrid, The Madring, and are considering not renewing the Belgian Grand Prix as a permanent fixture on the calendar. The current, 24-race, calendar may soon see some circuits drop-off in place of new tracks, and we all know that means street circuits because Formula 1 love a good street circuit. So let's take a look at the current contract state of the calendar:

There's a lot to digest there, but the summary is that a lot of the classic circuits, and by that I mean the circuits that we consider to be staples of the F1 calendar are soon to expire. It's quite common for F1 to announce an extension while they are at the circuit, since there's already a heightened media presence, and it's good to get the hype for a Grand Prix up, but there are two that are set to be dropped, or partially dropped, from the calendar. The Circuit de Barcelona will be dropped after its final race next year, in place of the inbound Madrid street circuit, and Spa-Francorchamps, which will only host a race in odd years until the end of its contract.

It is unlikely that circuits like Monaco, Canada, and Silverstone will be dropped since these are either prestigious events, or the only Grand Prix near that country. But we have recently seen the French Grand Prix come and go, so that's not set in stone either. The Hungaroring has, this year, seen a huge investment in circuit infrastructure, as has Monza in recent times, so it's unlikely that these two will be replaced, despite there being other available tracks in the vicinity.

So why does F1 prefer a street circuit over the conventional stand-alone purpose-built circuit? Well there's a couple of reasons. Turning up in a city, compared to being far away from the nearest hub, does have its advantages. There's more of a buzz, the track is literally right there where people live, there's easy transport routes to the city, no need for the circuit to put in infrastructure to get fans to- and from- the track. Typically, street circuits are far more entertaining too, because they're an ordinary road surface, sometimes slippery, and they are walled-in. This means the cars are slower, usually closer, and it can create a lot of drama and incidents. We've seen the Jeddah Cornice circuit come onto the calendar and put on a show every single year, so this logic stacks up. But, street circuits do come with their own... erm... image problem.

F1 is currently deciding if a return to the roaring V10 engines is the right thing to do, given the success they have had with sustainable fuels in the junior categories. As such, many of the drivers and team bosses have had their say recently, and Alex Albon recently made a good comment on the topic. He suggested that making the F1 engines more sustainable is futile, since the majority of the environmental damage does not come from the race itself, but rather the transport. Now, F1 has made significant effort this year to try and work the calendar from East to West, thus removing a lot of the back-and-forth travel cost. But is building a track in the middle of a city, transporting all the infrastructure required to do so, and then dismantling it all when the race is over, really the right move for an environmentally-friendly future?

Countries such as Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, etc., already have purpose-built circuits, so why the need to create more? Especially when some may not be permanent. Wouldn't it be better to mix-and-match circuits from further afield to create an ever-changing, and perhaps more environmentally-considerate calendar?