The hype has been building ever since the last plane flew out of Imola for the inaugural Miami GP.
The anticipation is huge and with just days to go till the the first outing on track, there is little to suggest anything but a blockbuster of a weekend.
Formula One’s history with America has been chequered in the past with tracks coming and going as it attempts to crack the US market.
When the announcement came that the race would be based around the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium, it truly set the scene for Formula One’s Super Bowl.
Just don’t expect a half time show – unless we get a repeat of the flurry of red flags we saw at Imola.
That being said, there will be enough celebrities to host one.
Every team has its own VIP list with a host of star-studded parties set to take place throughout the weekend. Lewis Hamilton is even set to ditch his Mercedes drive for a driver club as he tees up alongside NFL legend Tom Brady at an IWC Schaffhausen event at the Miami Beach Golf.
Christian Horner must be chuckling to himself at the prospect of which one holds the most power at the moment.
“The celebrity element is going to be…. what in America we’re all used to seeing at the Super Bowl,” said McLaren chief executive Zak Brown ahead of the weekend.
“That type of demand. That type of ticket value, that number of celebrities. It’s gonna be awesome.”
The numbers support his statement. Tickets for the weekend sold out in 40 minutes despite the cheapest three-day grandstand ticket coming in at £509 ($640),
A three-day grandstand seat meanwhile costs just under £8,000. This event is made to be in the spotlight, a far cry from the idyllic scenery of the Austrian GP for example.
Moving away from traditional values
It follows a shift in the last few years from F1’s European heartland in the search for more glamorous, wealthy nations to host races.
That may upset some people who just want to see cars flying round a track, engines roaring with the smell of burnt rubber in the air .
The sight of Craig Slater lying in a fake harbour is enough to make any F1 veterans toes curl.
The reality however is that we should get used to it.
The so-called Netflix effect has catapulted F1 into a new, casual market of fans and they want box office – as the often embellished Drive to Survive series has produced.
Sprint Races, FIA radio and now fake harbours. I didn’t say they were all good suggestions.
“I think you put all that together and we’ve gone from ‘We really need to get America on track’ to ‘It’s there.’ I mean, now we just need to let it grow.’” said Brown when quizzed about America’s place in F1.
The inclusion of a third race next year in Las Vegas supports the fact that, finally, F1 may be succeeding in challenging Nascar and IndyCar for a place in US motorsport tradtions.
Forget the man-made marina and ‘MSC Cruises Yacht Club’. This is a chance for F1 to do something special.
After the incredible atmosphere at last years US GP in Austin, Texas there’s no reasons to suggest this couldn’t top it and spearhead the push for Vegas and possibly other venues in the future.
We want Formula One to be a global spectacle, but size of the States means expansion is a logical step for the F1 bosses.
So we wait with bated breath at the prospect of five red lights as the circus takes another step into the unknown.
I’ll be rooting for Miami this weekend. The only down side for the home support is there is no local hero for them just yet.
With an estimated £318 million boost to the local economy in each year of its contract, they’ll be hoping to inspire the next generation of American F1 fans to take up the sport in years to come.