Record-breaking races in Mexico City and Miami have been added to the 2020-2022 Formula 1 season and set to be the first U.S. races on the 19-year-old series schedule.
The Miami Grand Prix, which will be the third U.S. track in the Formula 1 touring series, will be held in 2021. The 2019 calendar already includes races in Mexico City and Bahrain, with two more races planned for the season-ending event in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 16.
“We are delighted to have the Miami Grand Prix joining our Formula 1 season from 2021,” Formula 1 Chairman Chase Carey said in a statement. “First announced during the Allianz Elite GP in Germany, the home of the World Endurance Championship, this first U.S. race on the 21-race calendar shows the confidence we have in this city and in Florida’s pre-eminent stature in the sport.”
The Miami event will follow on the heels of the inaugural one-day IMSA GTE Pro Series at the new Miami-Dade County-owned Circuit of the Americas (COTA) located in Homestead, Florida. The IMSA Pro Series will crown two car owners with one GTE Champion and one GTE Rookie, in addition to crowning the NextCar Series Champion. Both the IMSA Series and NextCar will be competing in their first seasons in 2020.
“We are delighted to announce the addition of the World Endurance Championship, in partnership with Audi, to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 event,” Carey said. “Our Formula 1 and FIA FIA World Endurance Championship events are an exciting complement to each other, creating multiple world-class experiences in North America as we build towards the Tokyo Grand Prix and the Tokyo Grand Prix Super Finals in 2020.”
Mario Andretti and four-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso are the latest in a line of Formula 1 champions to make their mark on American racing. Andretti last year entered his Chevrolet Corvette DP in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and became the seventh man in history to win the Monaco, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Indianapolis 500. Alonso, who won the 1996 F1 title, won the World Endurance Championship in 2015, and has competed in IndyCar this year.
Carey also announced last week the return of the “London Grand Prix,” a classic British street race held in London since 1934, as a one-race event for the 2020 season. The event was held annually until 1996.
“I am really excited by the return of the London Grand Prix and delighted that this wonderful race will be back on the Formula 1 calendar for 2020,” Carey said. “The unique nature of the London Grand Prix demonstrates the prestige and enthusiasm of British motorsport fans and this tournament will be a true thrill for our fans.”