9 May 4 - May 10, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | So who are the guys? Who should I root for? The current F1 champion is young, curmudgeonly Dutch driver Max Verstappen, who in 2021 defeated reigning champ Lewis Hamilton under very controversial circum- stances to earn his first title. He ran away with the trophy last year and is, as of writing and before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, in first place for the 2023 championship after wins at the Bahrain and Australian grands prix. Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, the affable Mexican driver Sergio Perez, is in second place. He doubles as the only Latin-Amer- ican driver on the grid this season. Verstappen and Red Bull’s competition includes Mer- cedes-Benz, fronted by Hamilton, the sport’s winningest driver ever and the only Black driver on the grid, and up-and- comer and fellow Brit George Russell; Ferrari, featuring Mo- naco-raised Charles LeClerc and Spaniard Carlos Sainz; and championship-winning veteran Fernando Alonso, also from Spain and currently driving for Aston Martin. Another notable face on the grid is Logan Sargeant, the rookie driver competing for venerable, struggling team Wil- liams. He’s not just the first American in F1 since 2015 — he was born and raised in South Florida. Why am I only hearing about all this now? F1 has always been most popular in Europe, which forms the sport’s heartland, and past attempts to popularize it in Amer- ica fell flat. In 2016, the Formula One Group, the holding company that promotes the sport, was purchased by Liberty Media, which also currently owns Sirius XM Satellite Radio and the Atlanta Braves. The American owners have launched an aggressive campaign to make F1 stick in the U.S. Drive to Survive has been a big part of that, but so has holding races in the country. This includes the United States Grand Prix, held in Austin, Texas, since 2012, as well as brand new races in ex- otic destination cities, specifically Miami, which began last year, and Las Vegas, which debuts later in 2023. What’s it like to go to the Miami Grand Prix? It depends on how much you pay. The organizers have been very keen on marketing the race as a North American version of Monaco, with luxury suites, dining, concerts, and plenty of glitz and glamour — oh, and some racing, of course — across the event’s three days. (F1 races typically hold practice runs on Friday, qualifying runs to determine starting order on Sat- urday, and the race on Sunday.) Last year’s event faced criti- cism from VIPs who felt the experience was subpar compared to other grands prix. Maybe they weren’t charmed by the fake marina (don’t worry, it has water this year!) or the tacky podium celebration that put race winner Verstappen in a football helmet. Still, if you’re curious, the cheapest ticket for the Miami Grand Prix, a “campus pass” that does not in- clude a grandstand seat to watch the race itself, will set you back a measly $600. Enjoy! Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gar- dens; 305-943-8000; hardrockstadium.com. Tickets cost $590 to $6,000 via f1miamigp.com. HOMETOWN RACER Fort Lauderdale native Logan Sargeant gears up for the Miami Grand Prix. BY ALEX DELUCA S outh Florida finally has a hometown hero to root for in Formula 1 racing, and he’ll soon be coming back to his childhood stomping grounds for the Miami Grand Prix. From May 5-7, Miami Gardens will welcome Formula 1 drivers and fans from across the globe for the highly an- ticipated — and exorbitantly priced — Crypto.com-spon- sored race. Racers’ return to the temporary track at Hard Rock Stadium, known as the Miami International Auto- drome, comes as the European sport picks up steam across the United States, thanks in part to the popular Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. The fifth race of the season and one of three in the U.S. this year, the Miami Grand Prix will mark the first time that 22-year-old driver Logan Sargeant returns to his childhood home for a Formula 1 race. Sargeant is one of the youngest F1 drivers this year, but he’s been racking up racing experience since early childhood and proved himself a winner in the Formula Two championship, where he secured three podium fin- ishes in 2022. His team, Williams Racing, is on the ropes, having fin- ished last in the constructor standings last year and kick- ing off the 2023 season on shaky ground. The team is hoping Sargeant’s hometown crowd and some fresh leadership from new team boss James Vowles will help turn the once-dominant racing giant’s fortunes around. What’s certain is that Sargeant will be on familiar turf in South Florida, where he grew up as a kart-racing kid on his path to taking over the driver’s seat of an F1 machine. Cuttin’ Teeth in Lauderdale Sargeant was born in Fort Lauderdale, where he began kart racing at 6 years old. He went on to race competi- tively across the U.S. and beyond, eventually winning the Karting Federation Junior championship in 2015 and be- coming the first American to win an FIA karting champi- onship since 1978. He moved to Europe at age 12 to pursue his Formula 1 dreams. >> p10 Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images Last year, Dutch driver Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix. Logan Sargeant E TO LA 1
