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Miami in talks with F1 over becoming night race

Miami Grand Prix organisers say they are having discussions with Formula 1 chiefs about making the event a night race.

As F1 races look to innovate and keep themselves fresh, one idea being considered is for Miami to follow Las Vegas and run at night.

Speaking on Sunday morning, Miami GP managing partner Tom Garfinkel said that a night race was something being evaluated amid talks with F1.

"We've had some discussions about potentially doing that," Garfinkel told selected media, including Autosport.

"Obviously at this time of year, the weather's a little unpredictable. This year is pretty nice so far, and the breezes have helped a lot, but last year was unseasonably hot.

"But there's a lot of factors that go into that [decision to become a night race], with F1 and television and everything else. So, we've got to weigh all those things. But we're certainly open-minded to it."

One of the factors speaking most against Miami becoming a night race is its time zone in relation to Europe, with it being five hours behind London.

That means a night race would take place in the middle of the night in Europe, so would hit television audiences quite hard.

Las Vegas, which is eight hours behind, is holding its night race on a Saturday night so it takes place in the early hours of the Sunday morning in Europe.

Asked if a night race in Miami would also be on a Saturday, Garfinkel said: "We're not at a place where we're making a decision right now. I think we're having discussions about if we did it, and what would it look like."

Sold-out event

Source: Autosport

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