F1 News: Miami GP CEO Defends Event From Strong Criticism After 'Out of Context' Photos Shared

Tom Garfinkel, CEO of Miami GP, responded to criticisms of high food prices.

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) goes into turn 1 / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Garfinkel, the CEO of Miami GP, recently responded to widespread social media criticism about exorbitant food prices at the event. Photos shared online failed to provide full context, leading to public outrage.

The Miami Grand Prix hosted the second Sprint Race of the 2024 season and also saw Lando Norris secure his maiden Formula One win on Sunday. However, aside from the on-track excitement, fans were also taking to social media to discuss its hospitality offerings—primarily, a photo of a $280 lobster roll.

Tom Garfinkel, President and CEO of Hard Rock Stadium and managing partner of the GP, was quick to clarify the narrative around the event's culinary offerings. He explaine to the media, including Autosport:

“Somebody sent out a tweet the other day that showed a lobster roll was $280 and they sent it out without comment. And the context that wasn't included is that it was for a suite.

“It was a lobster roll, for probably 10 people, for $280.”

Food prices at #MiamiGP are actually insane #skyf1 pic.twitter.com/P2RGEBMkB0

— Dan Tay (@neb734) May 6, 2024

This year's GP saw a turnout of 275,000 fans over three days, highlighting growing appeal since its inception. Addressing the needs of a diverse crowd, the management introduced a varied ticketing strategy with something for nearly every budget. Noteworthy was the $150 campus pass, granting access to several vantage points over all three days. Garfinkel continued:

“I think it was really fun to see, probably for the first time in three years, the 300 level of the stadium was almost half full [with] campus pass holders.

“They can go right across the way [he points to a spot outside the braking zone for Turn 1, where a spectator platform is located] where there's risers where people can stand on if you buy a campus pass for $150 a day – you can stand right next to the race track.

“And those risers exist in multiple areas around the race track. You can go upstairs at the top of the stadium, walk around, see most of the track, and the concessions are open just like they are for football.

“So, there are options that are less expensive, and there's a lot of them all over the campus. And then there's some options that are more expensive, and then there's some options that are really expensive because [renowned New York celebrity chef] Mario Carbone is there making your vodka rigatoni, and it's going to cost a lot of money.

“We're just trying to provide options across that spectrum and sometimes people are going to point one thing out and say ‘that's really expensive’ without providing the context that it's actually a lobster roll for a suite for 10 people, right?

“So, there are inexpensive options as well as that, which is important to us.”