Tyler Epp, President of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, has made a surprising admission, reversing his stance on the value of adding a sprint race to the event.
Speaking in an interview with Motorsport.com, Epp conceded that his initial skepticism was unfounded. The Miami International Autodrome, which hosted its inaugural Grand Prix in 2022, was one of six circuits to include a sprint race this year. Epp’s change of heart comes after witnessing increased commercial success and positive fan feedback.
From the outset, Epp had doubts about the sprint race’s value proposition and its appeal to fans. He admitted:
“I was wrong about the sprint race, I was very concerned about the value proposition there, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
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“I will be clear in saying I wasn’t in the camp when we first did the deal but the feedback and the data we got showed that year over year our attendance was up on a Saturday, and they were there early for a sprint race.”
The sprint race itself saw Max Verstappen triumph in the 19-lap contest, with Lando Norris securing his maiden F1 win in the Grand Prix the following day. The success of this new format has compelled organizers to retain the sprint race in Miami for the 2025 season. Notably, Belgium will replace Austria as one of the six tracks using the shorter race format, showcasing the growing adoption of this exciting addition to the F1 calendar.
Epp’s initial concerns centered around the commercial viability and audience engagement of sprint races. However, data changed his perspective.
“When we look at gate scans and we look at data, they weren’t coming for qualifying, they were coming for the sprint race.
“I was wrong, it has been a really, really good thing for us. I understand it hasn’t been that way for every promoter, but we really have enjoyed and see real commercial value in hosting a sprint race, it has been fantastic for us.”
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Epp also spoke about the importance of support races in the overall event. The debut of the F1 Academy in 2024 and the return of the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America for its third consecutive year enhanced the weekend’s offerings.
“It does matter what goes on the track before Formula 1 does. In year one it was made very clear that nobody gets on the track before they did because they wanted to be the first on the new track,” he said.
“In year three support races were successful for us, putting Porsche on the track and F1 Academy on the track, was a real positive. Now, the racing lines aren’t always exactly the same but just laying rubber down did impact what the race teams were dealing with on track.
“From our perspective, we are very committed to two support series in some capacity, and we are expecting to have a similar line up next year.
“We learned a lot in years one and two, we take on challenges and mistakes and are honest about it, we try to attack them full throttle.
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“Year two to year three was just about tweaks and in years four and five I think it is just as important we listen to our customers – we have put a big emphasis on that in the last 12 months.”
Here’s an idea for dinner: a really easy seafood recipe, and the chef tops it off with a tasty sauce. Time to grab a Bite with Belkys.
The Chef: Kylian Goussot The Restaurant: Lafayette Steakhouse, Miami The Dish: Scallops
Ingredients:
Set 1 Olive sauce: 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp capers Juice of one lime 1/3 cup champagne vinegar 1 tsp xanthan gum ½ tbsp salt
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Set 2 1 cup olive oil 4 scallops 1-2 tbsp butter Sprig of thyme
Method of Preparation:
Olive sauce:
Weigh all the ingredients and place in blender. Blend until smooth.
Gradually add the olive oil from Set 2. Transfer to container and cool.
Scallops:
Season with salt and cook them on both sides on medium-high heat.
Add butter and thyme and baste scallops with butter until scallops reach caramelized color.
Serve scallops with seared vegetables and the sauce.
Andreessen Horowitz has reportedly given up on its Miami office after just two years in the space.
The Silicon Valley venture capital firm, also known as a16z, left its Miami Beach office in May because staff “weren’t using it enough,” Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company had signed a five-year lease in 2022 for 8,300 square feet of space in Miami Beach, the news outlet reported.
The move comes after one of Andreessen Horowitz’s cofounders, Ben Horowitz, announced in July 2022 that the firm was switching to a “new operating model” that involved a network of satellite offices, including new locations in Miami Beach, New York City, and Santa Monica.
“The firm is now virtual, but can materialize physically on command,” Horowitz said at the time.
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A year later, the firm’s other cofounder, Marc Andreessen, said that remote work had “detonated” how we connect and that it’s “not a good life” for younger workers, as it robs them of working relationships and opportunities.
Andreessen Horowitz did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Prominent Silicon Valley figures have touted their interest in heading to Miami during the pandemic. VC Keith Rabois, for one, called San Francisco “so massively improperly run and managed that it’s impossible to stay here” before packing up for Miami during the pandemic in 2020.
While some tech and crypto firms have been making an exodus from California in recent years, citing high taxes and the state’s liberal politics, a16z’s departure is the latest sign of shakiness in the migration from the Valley.
Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Rabois was planning on living again in San Francisco for at least part of the year, and was renovating his home in the city. The Journal reported that some other startups located in the area, including some Rabois had backed, had moved away from Miami, in part to better attract tech talent.
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VC investment in Miami also saw a huge decrease in 2023, dropping 70% to $2 billion, according to the Journal. More recently, dealmaking in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area was $361 million in the second quarter of this year, down from $623.2 million in Q1 of 2024 but comparable to the $377.7 million from Q2 last year, according to PitchBook data.
While some companies who have expanded to Miami or based their operations in the city have since moved elsewhere, the pandemic-era trend of relocating away from San Francisco extended beyond Florida.
Austin has also emerged as another popular destination for firms leaving the Valley. Elon Musk said in July that he’d relocate the headquarters of SpaceX and X, formerly Twitter, from California to Austin after previously moving Tesla’s HQ to the Texas city.
A former Miami Dolphins head coach has a new venture.
Adam Gase is joining The 33rd Team, a media and technology company, as a strategic advisor. Gase will be joined in his role by former New England Patriots coaches Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia, along with a host of other retired players, coaches, and executives.
The 33rd Team was founded by former Dolphins senior vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, who also hired Gase to the Dolphins before the 2016 season.
Gase isn’t the first former Dolphins head coach to enter the media business.
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Dave Wannstedt will work with Gase at The 33rd Team and contribute to NBCSports Chicago. Nick Saban recently joined ESPN on College GameDay, and Jimmy Johnson has worked on Fox’s NFL pregame show since 2002.
Although most Dolphins fans probably don’t have many fond memories of Gase’s tenure, it did start well. Miami finished 10-6 in 2016, making the playoffs behind an impressive running game that helped Jay Ajayi produce 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns.
Ironically, Gase’s first season mirrored Mike McDaniel’s in some ways. The Dolphins made the playoffs and lost in the first round while being forced to start a backup quarterback.
For Gase, it was starting Matt Moore instead of the injured Ryan Tannehill against the Pittsburgh Steelers. McDaniel was forced to start Skylar Thompson — the third-string quarterback — against the Buffalo Bills after Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater went down.
Both McDaniel and Gase’s teams lost those games, but one was much closer than the other. Miami lost 30-12 to the Steelers, but McDaniel’s Dolphins lost 34-31 in a closely contested game.
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After the playoff appearance, it was all downhill for Gase. The Dolphins finished 6-10 in 2017 and 7-9 in 2018. Miami was mired by injuries to Tannehill in both seasons. The quarterback missed all of 2017 (forcing the team to sign Jay Cutler) and five games in 2018.
Gase did help produce one major highlight in his final season as Dolphins head coach, designing the play that would deliver the famous “Miami Miracle” against the New England Patriots.
Gase was fired Dec. 31, 2018, one day after Miami lost 42-17 to the Buffalo Bills, as part of sweeping organizational changes. He finished with a 23-25 regular-season record as Miami’s head coach.
Current general manager Chris Grier took over football operations, and Tannenbaum was “reassigned” but quickly left the team to join ESPN and start The 33rd Team.
