Building the Miami International Autodrome
In 2018, a proposal for the Miami Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship was submitted to the city of Miami. 2019 was proposed as the race's first date and location around Port Miami. However, due to complications arising from PortMiami's construction and development plans, a proposal was submitted for a 2021 race at the famous Hard Rock Stadium, having hosted six Super Bowls, the World Series, the BCS national championship, Wrestlemania, the Orange Bowl, and the Miami Open Tennis Tournament.
In April 2021, the Miami-Gardens Commissioners voted to approve the deal, and the Miami Grand Prix was formally announced. Under the expert guidance of Apex Circuit Design, a renowned UK-based engineering firm, construction commenced on the 19-corner,3.363 mi (5.412 km) long circuit around Hard Rock Stadium.
Ground was broken on the new circuit campus in April 2021. In just over 12 months, 24,000 tons of asphalt and more than 1,000 tons of concrete were used across the site, creating the track and the associated infrastructure. The pit buildings began construction in September 2021, and the permanent features of the track were finished in early 2022. The permanent asphalt pathways of the circuit are integrated into the Hard Rock Stadium parking areas, and the circuit is on the private grounds of Hard Rock Stadium and uses no public road. In September 2021, the circuit was to be officially named the Miami International Autodrome.
The inaugural race, a momentous occasion, was part of the 2022 Formula One World Championship, and it took place on May 8, 2022, marking the return of Formula 1 to Florida for the first time since the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring. This race holds a special place in history, reminding us that no country has hosted more F1 venues than the USA--Sebring (Florida), Riverside (California), Watkins Glen (New York), Long Beach(California), Caesars-Vegas (Nevada), Detroit (Michigan), Dallas (Texas), Phoenix (Arizona), Indianapolis Road Circuit(Indiana), Circuit of the Americas (Texas), Miami (Florida), Las Vegas (Nevada).
