Talking completely to Autosport throughout final weekend’s third Miami GP on the Onerous Rock Stadium, Epp mentioned that the appearance of a 3rd grand prix in America – final November’s Las Vegas GP – expands the scope to tell apart them from each other.
Because of this, this implies they’ll differentiate themselves – quite than be in competitors with one another – and pursue their very own varieties of followers to maximise attendance and revenues in an enormous sports activities market.
“We had dinner with the Las Vegas crew final evening, and we talked lots about this,” he mentioned. “We change quite a lot of info with them, and a bit with Austin as properly.
“I believe the good factor is that Method 1 not solely permits however they encourage us to function in a different way. They need us to symbolize the communities and the cities wherein we dwell.
“And so the expertise in Austin is sort of completely different than the expertise right here in Miami, which is sort of completely different expertise in Vegas. So, credit score to Stefano [Domenicali, F1’s CEO] and crew for giving us the liberty to execute at that stage, so we do not essentially really feel the competitors.
“In actual fact, if it is something, it is how will we work collectively to proceed to offer this rising US F1 fan base what they need.”
Miami ran a dash weekend format for the primary time in 2024, mirroring Austin’s transfer final season, though Circuit of the Americas chairman Bobby Epstein revealed that it didn’t lead to an even bigger viewers for Saturday as he’d anticipated.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Epp believes that Miami GP Saturday tickets on the secondary market – the place they’re resold after initially being bought from the venue’s vendor – constructed some important late momentum to make sure that the occasion was offered out.
“When you had requested me this query a month in the past, I might have mentioned we’ve not actually seen the affect – I am undecided the worth is there,” mentioned Epp. “I’ve to inform you, the final couple of weeks we’ve got seen our Saturday actions actually driving our price.
“We see that on the secondary market, the place the tickets get break up up. Unexpectedly there was a market constructing for Saturday and I believe that is partially to do with the dash race, and I believe we have to embrace that.”
Epp added that the noon begin time of the dash didn’t assist its trigger, however the truth it was a race quite than a apply session was key: “Is it excellent? In all probability not.
“Are there alternatives for us to make it higher? Sure, however I believe the truth that we’re scanning as many individuals [on Saturday] earlier than midday in order that they arrive in right here, they usually’re of their seats for the start of the dash race as we speak, I believe that claims one thing.
“It is a late crowd. If we did not have the dash race and we had FP3 after which quali, I might inform you the possibilities of us having 50,000 individuals sitting within the stands at midday wouldn’t be very seemingly.
“And we had a very nice crowd by the point the dash race began.”