Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo : Dan Istitene ( Getty Images

A Formula One race in Miami is one step closer to happening, even if the proposed circuit layout looks like a ton of bobby pins smashed together. Now the Miami City Commission approved plans for an F1 deal that would start in 2019 and last until 2028, meaning the city manager now has to formalize the agreement.




The idea for now is that the first Miami Grand Prix street race will happen in October 2019, around the same time that the U.S. Grand Prix has been run at Circuit of The Americas in Texas for the past few years, but the race still has to go through a few more approvals before it’s official. The commission set a July 1 deadline for the formalized agreement between the Miami city manager and F1, and that agreement then has to go back to the commission for approval.


Miami has been an option for another U.S. race date since American company Liberty Media bought F1 in 2016, along with Las Vegas and New York. Reports came out at the end of April that F1 and Miami were moving closer to a deal for a grand prix, and that Miami could replace Azerbaijan on the schedule.

Azerbaijan has a deal with F1 through 2020, and Sky Sports reported later that its organizers plan to go through 2020 and maybe try to extend their deal.

A proposed track map for Miami came out a few days after the original reports, complete with two long straightaways over water and so many 90-degree turns that it looked like cars would have to yield to oncoming traffic during the race. Motorsport.com reports that four-time champion Lewis Hamilton offered to help make the track map better, but that’s only if Miami’s “beautiful women” don’t distract him so much that he can’t focus on it. (Bruh.)

The proposed Miami layout tweeted by Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell last week. Image : Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell ( Twitter


Yet not everyone in Miami is on board with the idea of loud race cars shutting down important roads for an entire weekend, but you know what? America could use some more good cars to bring us all back to our senses. We’re straying from God’s light and toward the deep hellfire that is the “sport” crossover craze over here. Something needs to bring us back. Perhaps F1, with its speed and noises and good cars that inevitably show up for race weekend, could help do that.