Formula 1 drivers are used to taking the track, revving their engines and getting down to business.
That was hardly the case at this past weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, as rap legend LL Cool J and Black Eyed Peas founder and former lead member will.i.am joined in the pre-race festivities.
The rap legend announced the drivers’ names as they were surrounded by cheerleaders from the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
With will.i.am doing his best orchestra conducting impersonation of his new song “Formula,” LL attempted to engage the large crowd that gathered in South Florida on this warm Sunday afternoon.
In fact, it was a who’s who of powerhouse celebrities in attendance, from NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes to Tom Cruise to Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk. They all made the trek down from Churchill Downs on Saturday, as they attended the Kentucky Derby.
Formula 1 Drivers Didn’t Like Pre-Race Entertainment
The second year of the MGP went off with a bang, but not everyone was happy with all the pre-race shenanigans that took place.
Drivers Express Different Feelings About Pre-Race Festivities
While there were varying opinions about the new way of doing things, some drivers were pretty dismissive of it.
McLaren driver Lando Norris cut straight to the chase, saying this following the race:
“None of the drivers like it, but it’s not for us at the end of the day.”
Williams driver Alex Albon didn’t sound too pleased with the events himself:
“It’s the show. We’re in the show business now.”
Then there was Mercedes driver George Russell who seemed peeved about standing directly in the steamy Miami sun for 30 minutes in full race gear.
“It is distracting because, you know, we were on the grid for half an hour in all of our overalls in the sun,” Russell said. “I don’t think there’s any other sports in the world that 30 minutes before you go out to do your business that you’re out there in the sun, all the cameras on you, and making a bit of a show of it.”
“We spoke about it as drivers on Friday night,” Russell continued. “Everybody’s got different personalities. I guess it’s the American way of doing things, doing sport. Personally, it’s probably not for me. But you know, that’s just my personal opinion.”
Race winner Max Versteppen seemed to channel the sentiments of many of the others.
“I think it’s a personality thing, right? Some people like to be more in the spotlight, some people don’t,” the Red Bull driver said. “I personally don’t, so for me I think that naturally what they did today was not necessary, I prefer to just walk to my car, talk to my engineers, put the helmet on and drive. But of course I have to accept the entertainment value.”
On the other end of the spectrum was Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who grew up an LL Cool J fan.
“They, Formula 1, are trying new things, they’re trying to improve the show always, and I’m in full support,” Hamilton said. “Geez, I grew up listening to LL Cool J, and LL Cool J was there. That’s cool. You look over, you’ve got will.i.am who’s an incredible artist. You’ve got Venus and Serena standing there. I thought it was cool.”
This Could Become The Norm On U.S. Soil This Year
For those drivers who aren’t fans of the festivities, they might want to begin to adjust their eardrums and cultural palette. With the Miami Grand Prix, Las Vegas Grand Prix and U.S Grand Prix in Austin all happening this year, giving the U.S. three races for the first time since 1981, Sunday’s race in South Beach could’ve been a prelude of things to come on that front.
And it sounds like the two biggest names in the sport, Verstappen and Hamilton are on two completely different ends of it.
