Michael Jordan shakes hands with Miami Heat forward LeBron James, after the Heat defeated the Bobcats, 109-98, in Game 4 of the NBA Basketball Herren USA Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 28, 2014. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: How can you choose a winner? - ZUMAm67_ 20140428_zaf_m67_204 Copyright: xDavidxT.xFosterxIiix
The Miami Grand Prix is making its debut in F1 this weekend and is set to be an extravagant sporting event
Basketball icons LeBron James and Michael Jordan; footballing legend David Beckham; the Williams sisters; NFL star, Tom Brady and a host of other celebrities are set to be in attendance for the inaugural edition of the Miami Grand Prix. It is set to be a grand debut for Miami in F1. The organisers have made special arrangements to make it the biggest sporting event of the week across the world.
The city of Miami is in a carnival mood and the ‘F1 vibe can be felt all over the coastal city. At the iconic Miami Beach, pop-up restaurant Carbone is charging £2,550 per person for dinner or just under £24,000 for a table. The signature dish at this supper club on the sand is a ‘palate-friendly’ spicy rigatoni vodka — described as ‘swoonsome’.
Despite the high costs, organisers anticipate a crowd of 80,000. Among the high-rollers expected on a pre-race grid that will be deliberately packed are LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Dan Marino, David Beckham, James Corden, the Williams sisters, Pharrell Williams and Wyclef Jean.
No country has had as many F1 host venues as the USA. The country held its first world championship round at Indianapolis in 1950, albeit under Indy 500 regulations, not F1.F1 has since visited Sebring (also in Florida), Riverside in California, Watkins Glen in upstate New York, Long Beach in California, Las Vegas in Nevada, Detroit in Michigan, Dallas in Texas, Phoenix in Arizona, Indianapolis again (on a road circuit), and finally Austin in Texas.
With F1 coming to town, businesses will continue to boom in Miami, with 4,000 new jobs created for the community, according to the promoters, around 35,000 local hotel bookings and over US$400m in a positive economic impact to the city each year.
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