Formula 1 in America: Sunday’s Inaugural Miami Grand Prix Airing Live on ABC

One of the most anticipated new sporting events of 2022 is finally here – the inaugural Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. As part of a festival fitting for Miami and South Florida, the Formula 1 World Championship race will be run on Sunday, May 8, and will air live on ABC, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

ESPN and ABC will surround the race telecast with an unprecedented amount of programming and content across platforms including the live, on-site presence of SportsCenter, Good Morning America and Marty & McGee as well as robust social media and digital content that will include a live preview show on race day and a football skills contest between F1 drivers and members of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

The first of two F1 rounds that will be held in the United States this year, the race will be run at the new Miami International Autodrome, a 19-turn, 3.4-mile circuit built in the complex of Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Dolphins.

ESPN and ABC will utilize a set situated adjacent to the race circuit and across from the site’s yacht club and marina, providing a picturesque setting for programs and reports, as well as other locations around the circuit. Among additional content on ESPN and ABC platforms surrounding the race telecast:

  • SportsCenter –- Anchor Nicole Briscoe, also the host of ESPN’s F1 encore telecasts, will report from Miami on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for SportsCenter, with content appearing in various editions of ESPN’s signature news and information program throughout the day. In addition, Briscoe will co-anchor the 10 a.m. editions of the program from Miami on both Saturday and Sunday. Also contributing to SportsCenter from Miami will be anchor Gary Striewski and reporters Marty Smith and Ryan McGee.
  • Good Morning America — ABC’s Good Morning America will air reports from the Miami Grand Prix with ABC News senior meteorologist Rob Marciano and ABC News correspondent Victor Oquendo.
  • Marty & McGee — The Marty & McGee program will originate from the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday, May 7, from 7-10 a.m. Marty & McGee is live on Saturday mornings on SEC Network and ESPN Radio. Marty Smith and Ryan McGee meet at the intersection of southern lifestyle and sports to bring viewers the latest headlines, Hillbilly and otherwise, across the SEC landscape.
  • ESPN.com/F1 — ESPN’s Laurence Edmondson and Nate Saunders are providing complete coverage of every F1 race across all global digital platforms, including exclusive interviews with drivers and team principals, as well as breaking news and in-depth analysis. ESPN’s coverage of F1 includes a dedicated site that reports on the championship year-round. In addition to ESPN’s F1 coverage across all major social platforms, for the first time this year, ESPN’s popular Pick’Em format includes an F1 game, offering users the chance to make their predictions across the grid for each race.
  • Countdown to Miami — For the first time at a Formula 1 race, ESPN will produce and air a preview show that will air live on ESPN social media and digital channels from 3-3:30 p.m. on race day. Countdown to Miami, sponsored by Mercedes AMG, will be hosted by SportsCenter anchor Gary Striewski, with commentator Katie George and analyst Spencer Hall. Originating from the ESPN set at the race circuit, the show will stream to ESPN’s YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook accounts, as well as the ESPN App.
  • ESPN Social Media Platforms — Omar Raja, ESPN digital and social content commentator, and the ESPN Social Media team will have social media support and collaborations the entire week of the event. Content will include marketing activations, cross-over moments, fans, celebrities and exclusive behind-the scenes content with teams including Red Bull and Ferrari. ESPN’s social platforms also will have highlights of a football skills contest between F1 drivers and members of the Miami Dolphins. 
  • ESPN Deportes and International – Reporters Katia Castorena and Jose Antonio Cortez Ramirez will be at the Miami Grand Prix to provide content for ESPN Deportes news platforms as well as Spanish-language ESPN news platforms in other countries and territories.

For fans attending the event, ESPN will operate a 360-degree photo booth in the North Fan Zone on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fans will pose with helmets, flags, trophies and champagne bottles for a 360-degree, high-quality slow-motion video available to share instantly on social.

In addition to the race, qualifying and all three practice sessions will air on ESPN networks on Friday and Saturday with streaming of all sessions and the race on the ESPN App. The race and qualifying telecasts will air commercial-free with sponsorship from Mothers Polish.

Race day coverage will begin at 2 p.m. with the Grand Prix Sunday pre-race show, with the race start at 3:30 p.m. The race also will air in Spanish on ESPN Deportes with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m.

F1 returned to its original U.S. television home in 2018 – the first race ever aired in the country was on ABC in 1962. F1 races also aired on ESPN from 1984-1997. Through the first four races of the 2022 season, F1 races are averaging 1.1 million viewers, a 22 percent increase over the average for the first four races of 2021. The 2021 season was F1’s most-viewed ever on U.S. television.

Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Television Schedule

(all times Eastern) 

Date       Event                                         Time (ET)      Network

Wed., May 4
Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami GP Opening Party
8:00 p.m.
ESPN+, ESPN3
Fri., May 6
Practice 1
2:25 p.m.
ESPN2
 
The F1 Show
3:45 p.m.
ESPN3
 
Practice 2
5:25 p.m.
ESPNEWS/ESPN3
Sat., May 7
Practice 3
12:55 p.m.
ESPNEWS/ESPN3
 
Qualifying
3:55 p.m.
ESPN
 
Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
5:45 p.m.
ESPN3
Sun., May 8
Grand Prix Sunday (pre-race)
2:00 p.m.
ABC
 
Countdown to Miami
3:00 p.m.
ESPN YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and ESPN App
 
Race
3:30 p.m.
ABC
 
Checkered Flag (post-race)
4:30 p.m.
ESPN3
 
Ted’s Race Notebook
6:30 p.m.
ESPN3
 
Race (encore)
10:00 p.m.
ESPNEWS

 

ESPN Deportes Schedule (in Spanish) 

Fri., May 6
Practice 1
2:25 p.m.
ESPN Deportes
 
Practice 2
5:20 p.m.
ESPN Deportes
Sat., May 7
Practice 3
12:55 p.m.
ESPN Deportes
 
Qualifying
3:55 p.m.
ESPN Deportes
Sun., May 8
Pre-Race and Race
2:30 p.m.
ESPN Deportes

 All programs also will stream on the ESPN App.

Adam Sinclair