The Miami Grand Prix was less talked about for the on-track action than for the off-track spectacle. The one that was delivered before the race may not have been to everyone’s taste, but it sets the bar high in terms of show and many expect the Las Vegas event in November to be particularly provided in this area.
For Günther Steiner, director of the only American team on the grid, Haas, it is clear that in these days, fans come to the circuit to see more than the sporting event, especially in the United States. “I think the entertainment is a lot better than it used to be. It used to be that we were having races, just races. We were having one race and then we were having the next one, there was nothing around it. We were racing for motorsport fans.”
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“Before Liberty Media came, the sport was not successful in the United States. I came to the United States and I understood this country better when I moved here, because before I did not understand it You have to live here to understand. People want entertainment all the time, they don’t want to sit there waiting three hours for the cars to hit the track. They want something to do, something to consume.”
“There are other things going on; you have concerts, entertainment areas. If you have children with you, you want to entertain them, not sit in a grandstand or on a hill. Try to telling a 12-year-old that he has to wait two hours before the cars get back on track. That’s quite difficult.”
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23
Steiner believes that the Singapore GP is also a good example of the alliance between sport and entertainment, although he insists that the sporting aspect must remain the most important. “I think F1 is doing a very good job in this area. They started to put in more entertainment on the sidelines of the races. That’s what they do in Singapore and at a lot of events.”
“I think what’s good is that the sport remains the focal point of everything. There’s the F1 race and two prestigious concerts on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s not like there’s the concert and, by the way, on Sunday, the race. It’s quite the opposite. And I think they’ve done that very well. And [à Miami]they went further.
“I think what we call ‘classic’ racing, where you have a race and nothing else, has a good chance of being overtaken by this. It’s 2023 and people want more entertainment, they want more.”
“They don’t just want to see cars race. And I think F1 has done a very good job over the last five years of bringing that to the consumer, to enjoy coming to the circuit, because he will find more than an F1 race there. But the focus is still the race.”
“They always keep that in mind because that’s what makes the value of this event, the race; it’s not the concert or the DJ. I mean they add to it, and that ‘They’re very important, but they’re not the focal point.”
With Filip Cleeren
2023-05-24 19:09:32
#Classic #GPs #inspiration #Miamitype #shows #Steiner
