The first Miami Grand Prix was held around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL team – the Miami Dolphins -, and it was the most publicized new Formula 1 race in years, something that has also been reflected in ticket prices.
The cheapest grandstand tickets were priced at $640 (just over €600), which translates to the most expensive seats in the entire calendar, second only to those in Monaco, and sold out the first day they went on sale. for sale.
Fans who wanted to access the general admission area had to pay from 300 dollars (284 euros at the current exchange rate) for Friday to 500 dollars (474 euros) for the day of the race, something that increased if those who attended decided to eat and Drink at the many street stalls.
The event resembled a festival, and attracted the interest of fans and patrons from around the world, selling out 240,000 people over the three days. That was further proof that the championship has made a big impact in the United States.
However, its power of attraction, similar to that of the Super Bowl , has also meant that, like the NFL final, most people will be left out of any option to visit the facilities during the race weekend. .
When asked about criticism of ticket prices, Miami Grand Prix organizer Tom Garfinkel , who also manages the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, said supply and demand dictated ticket prices.
“Part of it is due to scarcity, and supply and demand,” he said. “I mean, we never really did a public sale, and we were in such high demand that the ticket prices were based on that.”
Garfinkel insisted that the general access tickets, which Miami called campus passes , offered good value for money, given that no expense had been spared to turn the South Florida campus into a semi-theme park, complete with a beach club. , fan zones and live concerts throughout the weekend.
“I think one thing we haven’t done very well, and one thing we can do better in the future, is let people know what a campus pass is,” he explained. “For $300 on a Friday, you can come and see what the circuit is all about.”
“There’s a lot of different things with campus passes. There’s a lot to experience here,” he said. “It’s not your typical venue-only pass, you get to see a lot of different parts of the road course, there are a lot of different things to do.”
“And then at the other extreme, yes, we have some luxury experiences where the tickets are very expensive. So some of that was a function of supply and demand, but I hope we offer that experience to the people who bought the tickets. tickets,” he concluded.
