Talking solely to Autosport throughout final weekend’s third Miami GP on the Arduous Rock Stadium, Epp mentioned that the arrival of a 3rd grand prix in America – final November’s Las Vegas GP – expands the scope to tell apart them from each other.
In consequence, this implies they’ll differentiate themselves – moderately than be in competitors with one another – and pursue their very own kinds 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 so much about this,” he mentioned. “We change a number of info with them, and a bit with Austin as properly.
“I believe the good factor is that System 1 not solely permits however they encourage us to function in a different way. They need us to characterize the communities and the cities through which we dwell.
“And so the expertise in Austin is kind of completely different than the expertise right here in Miami, which is kind 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.
“The truth is, if it is something, it is how will we work collectively to proceed to provide 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, regardless that 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
Picture 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 bought out.
“In the event you had requested me this query a month in the past, I’d have mentioned we have not actually seen the affect – I am undecided the worth is there,” mentioned Epp. “I’ve to let you know, the final couple of weeks we now have seen our Saturday actions actually driving our price.
“We see that on the secondary market, the place the tickets get cut up up. Rapidly 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 moderately than a follow session was key: “Is it good? Most likely 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 in the present day, I believe that claims one thing.
“This can be a late crowd. If we did not have the dash race and we had FP3 after which quali, I’d let you know the probabilities of us having 50,000 folks sitting within the stands at midday wouldn’t be very possible.
“And we had a extremely nice crowd by the point the dash race began.”