Barcelona: Formula One (F1) World Champion Lewis Hamilton has cast an expert eye over the proposed layout for a street race Grand Prix in Miami next year and is not impressed.
The Mercedes driver indicated Thursday here at the Spanish Grand Prix venue that he had been underwhelmed by what he had seen so far. “I don’t get why, for example, in golf, all the great golfers design golf courses,” the Briton, winner of 63 races and four World Championships, told reporters.
“You have not got any of the top racing drivers in history having ever designed a race track, and I don’t get it. Not that any of us are designers, but they haven’t asked for our input. Miami is a super-cool place and I was very excited to hear about it, but when I saw the layout I was like, ‘Yeah, I think it could be a lot more fun’,” he added.
The City of Miami Commission and Miami-Dade County unanimously granted their preliminary approval Thursday for a proposal to authorise city manager Emilio Gonzalez to negotiate a contract with Formula One by July 1. The decision was welcomed by the sport.
“We are very pleased to have received preliminary approval towards bringing a Formula One grand prix to Miami,” said Sean Bratches, Formula One’s commercial MD.
“Formula One in Miami represents a fantastic opportunity to bring the greatest racing spectacle on the planet to one of the world’s most iconic cities, and we are delighted that the journey is under way.”
I don’t understand why we drivers are not asked regarding the layout of a circuit. Our opinion may not be final, but we can give valuable inputs
Lewis Hamilton
