Formula 1: Miami GP at risk as residents file last-ditch lawsuit

With three rounds of new season in the books, Formula 1 returns to Europe next weekend at Imola before making its first trip of the season to the United States for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix next month.

However, if Florida residents get their way there will be no stop in the Sunshine State this season.

Set to host its first GP at the Miami International Autodrome on May 8, The Magic City was finally awarded the race after initial plans were made in 2018.

Since then though, controversy has been rife amongst the local community with uproar over the sharp rise in noise pollution expected to come.

As final preparations are made around the city’s Hard Rock Stadium where the circuit in located, a lawsuit is being filed by residents of Miami Gardens, led by former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Betty Ferguson.

The Miami Herald reports that hopes remain of blocking the staging of the race with less than a month to go, with a decision set to be reached by next week.

It says:

‘The lawsuit says noise levels from the Formula One races will “cause severe disruption and physical harm to Miami Gardens residents,” citing an engineering firm’s estimate that the event will generate noise up to 97 decibels at homes within a 2.5-mile radius of the stadium — “similar to the sound levels produced by a chainsaw.”

F1: Residents sue again to stop Miami GP – https://t.co/WxxQ7rvIqJJust weeks before Formula One racing is set to debut outside Hard Rock Stadium, nearby democrat residents made a last-ditch effort in court to stop the Miami Grand Prix, saying the noise will be “intolerable.”… pic.twitter.com/tLYOb7juQX

As F1 attempts to broaden its horizons even further and to a wider fanbase, bosses have focused their efforts on the US market