F1 Drivers Hated Miami's NASCAR-Style Driver Intros
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Over the past two seasons, Formula 1 has used the relatively new Miami Grand Prix to experiment with marketing ideas that embrace the unique nature of the event. The temporary marina that famously popped up at the debut race without any water may have been an odd one, but other ideas like NASCAR-style driver intros debuted yesterday have at least made conceptual sense. Drivers are not exactly on board, though: Many of those asked about the segment openly hated it.
The segment itself was relatively long, with LL Cool J introducing every single driver on the grid with a written tagline. An orchestra conducted by former Black Eyed Pea and current noted car designer Will.I.Am added background music, while fog machines churned and cheerleaders danced on the sidelines. The whole thing seemed a little bit haphazard, and strange sound mixing choices on the broadcast side meant that any specific cheers or jeers from the crowd went unnoticed whenever the segment stopped for applause.
Both ESPN and The Athletic collected quotes from drivers and other F1 stakeholders about the idea throughout the weekend, most of which were not positive. Complaints ranged from the time the segment took to the disruption of their traditional pre-race ceremonies of sitting around and thinking about driving a car. As Lando Norris put it, "none of the drivers like it."
Fernando Alonso took issue with the idea of specific promotions for events like Miami, saying that "I don't think the Miami fans are better than the Italian fans in Imola, or in Spain, or in Mexico, or in Japan." He instead prefers a uniform pre-race before every event, a stark contrast to how Liberty has positioned Formula 1 when visiting the American market over the past few years.
George Russell's concern was primarily with the time spent on the event. He notes that "it is distracting because, you know, we were on the grid for half an hour in all of our overalls in the sun. I don't think there's any other sports in the world that 30 minutes before you go out to do your business that you're out there in the sun, all the cameras on you, and making a bit of a show of it."
Russell, of course, missed many examples of similar ideas in other sports. Every NBA game starts with one-by-one introductions of all starting players. The style of this segment came directly from American auto racing, emulating the driver intros NASCAR hosts before every race. Segment host LL Cool J even accidentally alluded to a major racing event that has long done driver introductions when he called the Miami GP "the greatest spectacle in motorsports," one awkward word away from a long-trademarked tagline the Indianapolis 500 has used for decades.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg, by contrast, liked the idea. Hamilton said that he supported F1's attempts to improve the show, adding that he was excited to specifically see LL Cool J leading that portion of the pre-race. Hulkenberg enjoyed the crowd reaction, and even added that he "had some goosebumps, actually."
No matter what drivers actually think about these sorts of ideas, they will continue. The Miami Grand Prix may have seen a decline in ticket demand before the race, but it was still a sellout on race day. Two more races in the U.S. are also expected to sell out, including a much-hyped new race in Las Vegas that seems to be built entirely around cranking the unique experience of Miami up another level with even higher ticket prices and even more absurd promotions. So long as these ideas are selling, Liberty will keep playing this game.
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