Local opposition forces Miami to delay F1 race decision

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Miami's City Commission has been forced to delay a decision on hosting an F1 Grand Prix in the Magic City until after its August recess because of mounting opposition to the event.

According to the Miami Herald, next week's July 26 meeting to rule on a potential Miami Grand Prix has been scrapped in order to allow local authorities to gather more information from downtown residents opposing the project.

"We want to make sure we do this right. It's a big event," said City manager Emilio Gonzalez, who insisted that plans for the race had not been derailed

Formula One is eager to add a second race in the US to its calendar, and an event in Miami could take place as early as October of next year.

However, since the announcement of F1's plans earlier this year, a vocal opposition has expressed its grievances and worries about the project.

An initial track layout centered around Biscayne Boulevard underwent changes this week to alleviate local residents' environmental and practical concerns.

In a bid to generate appeal for its event, Formula 1 will go ahead with a fan festival in Miami scheduled later this year in the same week as the US Grand Prix in Austin.

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