Last year, Miami kicked off its Grand Prix with a big show. They had famous rapper LL Cool J introducing each driver, and will.i.am led an orchestra playing a special song for the race. But not everyone loved it. Some fans thought it was too flashy, especially the ones watching on TV in Europe. And some drivers didn’t like spending so much time outside in the hot Miami weather wearing their racing gear.
This year, for the third race, they’re changing things up. They’re skipping the fancy driver introductions from last year and keeping it simpler.
Instead of having LL Cool J and cheerleaders, they’ll show the drivers’ names on a big screen above the start line. They’ll also show other special things before the race starts at 4 pm.
Before the race, Marc Anthony, a famous singer, will sing the American national anthem. And Kaskade will be the DJ on the grid, playing music.
This change wasn’t just because of what the drivers said. Since last year, Formula One has been trying new things to make the races more exciting. They’re focusing more on music and fun stuff happening on the grid.
Guenther Steiner used to be the boss of the Haas racing team. Now, he’s the ambassador for the Miami race. He thinks drivers should be more open to new things. He says, “Even if you don’t like it, try to enjoy it because it makes a lot of people happy.”
He thinks racing is still the most important thing, but it’s also important to entertain people outside of the races. He says Miami is doing a good job of that.
There are also other musicians performing during the weekend, like Ed Sheeran, John Summit, Kaytranada, and Steve Aoki.
