Former US president and likely 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump’s appearance at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami on Sunday sparked controversy. F1 team McLaren issued a statement defending their decision to allow him into their garage before the race.
Formula 1 returned to Miami for the third consecutive season, with over 250,000 people flocking to Miami Gardens. They packed into the Miami International Autodrome, an international race circuit that winds past the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
The event has been dominated by one man, Max Verstappen, as the Dutch Red Bull driver has won both previous iterations of the race and returned in dazzling form, claiming four of the first five races to open the 2024 F1 season.
The high-profile event attracted several big names from the sporting world and beyond, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, WWE star Logan Paul, and tech billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Florida’s governor and Trump’s Republican presidential rival, Ron DeSantis, who Trump recently defeated for the GOP nomination, was also present.
But the arrival of Donald Trump at the Grand Prix sparked a frenzy among attendees, with massive crowds eagerly anticipating the former president’s presence and erupting into “U-S-A” chants upon his appearance. Trump addressed the excited spectators with a succinct message: “Everybody have a good time.”
Trump’s presence continued to stir attention as he was spotted engaging with F1’s top brass, including CEO Stefano Domenicali and McLaren officials. The interactions drew criticism from some racing fans, who accused Domenicali and the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) of double standards.
They pointed out the apparent contradiction between welcoming Trump after enforcing a ban on athletes voicing political views. Disgruntled fans took to social media to express their disapproval.
One fan posted: “It’s not like Trump bought tickets to go to the GP. He was INVITED by a MAJOR team. Absolutely shameful by the whole McLaren organization.”
Another said: “So Trump is allowed to gee up a crowd and start political advertisements at a Grand Prix. Yet, when Vettel or Hamilton said/say something, they’re told to shut it. Nice one, F1… What an embarrassing OG for McLaren.”
In response to the backlash, McLaren issued a statement clarifying their stance: “McLaren is a non-political organisation however we recognise and respect the office of President of the United States. So when the request was made to visit our garage on race day we accepted alongside the president of the FIA and the CEO’s of Liberty Media and Formula 1.”
“We were honoured that McLaren Racing was chosen as the representative of F1 which gave us the opportunity to showcase the world class engineering that we bring to motorsport.”
Trump’s visit followed allegations earlier this week that Miami GP organisers had halted plans for a campaign fundraiser at the event. The Washington Post initially reported plans for an event at the race hosted by Trump associate Steven Witkoff, with tickets priced at a hefty $250,000 for attendance at The Paddock rooftop.
However, Miami Grand Prix officers reportedly issued a cease-and-desist order to Witkoff, informing Trump that his presence at the event was dependent on adhering to the “very clear” license agreement, which prohibits campaign events.
“It has come to our attention that you may be using your Paddock Club Rooftop Suite for a political purpose, namely raising money for a federal election at $250,000 a ticket, which clearly violates the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix suite license agreement,” read a letter to Witkoff from the event obtained by the Post. “If this is true, we regret to inform you that your suite license will be revoked, you will not be allowed to attend the race at any time, and we will refund you in full.”
Trump’s appearance at the track provided the former reality star a brief break from a highly-publicised trial currently taking place in New York. Trump is facing 34 separate counts of fraud under campaign finance laws for allegedly falsifying business documents, charges to which he has pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to last up to five weeks.
