F1 organizers and Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez are closing in on a "soft July 1 deadline to hammer out a multi-year deal" that would bring the circuit to downtown beginning in '19, according to Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. F1 Managing Dir of Commercial Operations Sean Bratches said, "Progress has been on pace and we anticipate closing something on around that deadline." He added, "We're very encouraged about the prospect of a Grand Prix in Miami. The brands align incredibly well." Beasley noted if Gonzalez and F1 can "strike a deal, it would still need to be approved by the entire commission." Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross and his RSE Ventures "would be the race's promoter." Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel said, "F1 has come here and listened and been flexible. People here in Miami are too forward thinking not to take advantage of this huge opportunity. This is nothing like other races that have been here in the past; it’s much, much more significant." But Beasley noted some locals are "fed up with the inconveniences" associated with bringing another "huge, potentially disruptive event" to the Bayfront Park area. Bratches insists that noise "will not be an issue past dinnertime." Race time was one of "several concessions" F1 has made to its "would-be neighbors." The planned course has already been "altered due to concerns raised by the Heat and the Parcel B waterfront park just east of the AmericanAirlines Arena." F1 is willing to race in Miami with "minimal use of taxpayer dollars" (MIAMI HERALD, 6/24).
