Miami GP Organisers In Talks With F1 To Host A Night Race

Ever since Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit became the first to host a night race in Formula 1, the popularity of the same has been growing. Many Grands Prix followed its footsteps over being held in the dark, including Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia; and the latest addition to the lot will be Las Vegas later this year. 

On the weekend of the 2023 Miami GP, its organisers also spoke out about their interest to eventually morph into a night race. Talking to Autosport, Miami GP managing partner Tom Garfinkel said that a night race was something being evaluated amid talks with F1.

“We've had some discussions about potentially doing that.” “But there's a lot of factors that go into that [decision to become a night race], with F1 and television and everything else. So, we've got to weigh all those things. But we're certainly open-minded to it.”

One of the biggest roadblocks in Miami GP becoming a night race is the time zone difference. If the race is to be held on a Sunday night in Miami, it would air sometime early morning before dawn on a Monday in Europe, and in the late morning of a Monday in India. This would mean that there would potentially be a drop in television viewers. However, Miami could also consider hosting a race on a Saturday night, like Las Vegas. When asked about the same, Garfinkel said, “We're not at a place where we're making a decision right now. I think we're having discussions about if we did it, and what would it look like.”