Why F1 Drivers Are Given $800 a Day Police Escort During Miami GP Despite No Security Threat

Given the global popularity of F1 drivers, they require some level of protection wherever they go. In regions where the threat to their safety is higher, measures are significantly stricter. However, despite Miami being considered relatively safe last weekend, each driver was still assigned a substantial security detail throughout the event.

In the past, police escorts have been provided for F1 drivers in cities like Mexico City and Sao Paulo, primarily due to incidents that posed safety risks to F1 personnel. For example, in 2017, Mercedes employees were robbed at gunpoint in Brazil, which served as a real wake-up call for the organizers.

Even ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s mother was kidnapped in the same location.

But why did Miami, a city where no such crime has occurred against F1 drivers since they started racing there in 2022, require drivers to have an escort service?

The simple answer is to beat the traffic and save time.

It wasn’t the first time drivers received escorts to the track in Miami, as the same happened last year. However, something major changed this time around. Until last year, Miami GP organizers covered the cost of police escorts for the drivers. This year, however, teams were informed that if they wanted escorts, they would have to pay for them.

According to veteran F1 photojournalist Kym Illman, all teams—except for Sauber—chose to pay for the service.

“If you want them, you can arrange them,” Illman said via his latest YouTube video. “It’s $800 a day for each of the transfers. So, you might have two drivers and perhaps (the) team principal, and that covers you going to the track and returning to the track“.

Illman then added that top drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, in particular, require police escorts—not because of safety concerns, but due to the heavy traffic they are likely to encounter on their way to the track.

“It’s just that the traffic is horrendous at night,” he explained. “And even if you come late in the morning to the track, a 30-minute journey could be 90, and they make a hell of a noise when they pass you on the freeway“.

So, while drivers may prefer using police escorts to avoid traffic, on the positive side, it reflects the growing admiration they are receiving whenever they visit the US. In the past, most Americans preferred watching homegrown races like NASCAR and IndyCar, but now, more are tuning in to F1 as well.

Other than Miami, another race where some drivers receive police escorts, despite there being no credible threat, is the Italian GP.

With the Tifosi being some of the most passionate fans in the world, Leclerc received an escort to the track back in 2022. At that time, he drove his $1 million Ferrari 488 Pista Spider to the track, with police cars and bikes surrounding him.

Last year as well, Leclerc arrived at the Monza circuit with a police escort, this time driving his $398k Ferrari Purosangue. Without it, he might not have made it to the Autodromo in time to fulfill his media duties.