Prior to the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, F1’s Team Principals are expected to be treated to their own parade, similar to that which is usually reserved for the F1 drivers.
Formula 1 will stage a Team Principals’ Parade on Sunday, before to the start of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, for the first time. The new twist on the Formula One schedule is yet to be officially unveiled. It’s unclear whether this is a one-time occurrence.
Every Formula 1 race begins with the drivers boarding a low-loader and being driven around the track. The procession allows spectators to see the drivers up up and personal when they exit their vehicles, often chatting or being interviewed.
However, the official program for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix states that, five minutes after the ‘Drivers’ Parade,’ a ‘Team Principals’ Parade’ will be held, reportedly the first of its type.
The event will begin at 13:35 p.m. local time, just 5 minutes after the usual Drivers’ Parade. The Formula One website lists it as a Promoter Activity. This could indicate that it will only happen once. However, that appears to be a long shot. The Drivers’ Parade, on the other hand, is labeled as ‘Formula 1’.
Simply put, in Formula 1 team principals are increasingly becoming stars of the show Drive to Survive as the ‘Netflixification’ of the sport, has shone a stronger light on them over the previous few seasons.
The move to parade the Team Principals at the Miami International Autodrome comes as the sport in the United States continues to flourish.
It also comes after the fourth season of Netflix’s smash show Drive To Survive, a documentary series that has given sports fans a view into the cutthroat world of Formula One racing.
Fans of Formula One, both old and new, are considerably more aware than ever before of the personalities behind the drivers and cars. Toto Wolff, Christian Horner, and Guenther Steiner have become household names as protagonists and antagonists, respectively.
Last season, Formula One tried to cash in on the growing popularity and attention by releasing team-to-race control radio transmissions during grand prix. As we all know, the result was disastrous for the sport. It is widely believed that allowing teams to radio Michael Masi in the middle of a race played a crucial role in the championship’s controversial conclusion.
Not only is that feature no longer available, but so is the ability for teams to communicate with race control directly. Michael Masi also lost his job as a result of the situation.
The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix attracted more than one million American viewers, according to numbers released by American broadcaster CNBC, more than any Formula 1 race broadcast on cable in the country since 1995.
The inaugural Miami Grand Prix is being held across the weekend of 6th – 8th May 2022. Qualifying is to be held at 16:00 local time (21:00 BST) on Saturday. The race is due to begin at 15:30 on Sunday (20:30 BST). For the full schedule, visit the Formula 1 website.
