Promoter of the Year shortlist

Hosting some of the best-attended motorsport events across the globe is not an easy challenge – however, the judging panel has shortlisted four of the best venues from 2024

The Promoter of the Year is an award that recognises the promoter of a motorsport event who produced an exceptional and commercially successful event or events during the season and showed a commitment to improving the fan experience.

The winners will be announced at the Autosport Awards in London on January 29, and the following promoters have been shortlisted.

Automobile Club de l’Ouest – 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans set a new attendance record in 2024 as 329,000 spectators flocked to see Ferrari pip Toyota to victory by just 14 seconds.

The increase in attendance came a year after the Centenary race and further proved the growing spectatorship for the World Endurance Championship. The 2024 version also featured an expanded grid of 23 hypercars, the largest entry in the top category this century.

For track-going fans, new spectator areas were added, including a new bank at the Porsche Curves and a new grandstand at Maison Blanche. Five fanzones also entertained attendees away from the track action.

Following on from the 100th anniversary, the ACO recreated a night display with over 400 drones and a firework display.

The judges were impressed to note that, despite being hard to improve on the Centenary event, Le Mans managed to do so, while also providing additional fan areas and building on the attendance figures.

CIE – Mexico Grand Prix

The Mexico City Grand Prix only returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015 but has since gone on to win the FIA’s Promoter of the Year award on five occasions.

For 2024, the paddock was transformed to showcase the Day of the Dead, an emblematic tradition in Mexico with activations unique to the country including taco stands and live painting.

Enhanced seating, 280 new screens and new hospitality areas elevated the spectator experience as a record weekend crowd of 404,958 witnessed Carlos Sainz take victory for Ferrari.

Support races included the Roshfrans GTM Super Cup, FORMULA 4 NACAM Championship and Masters Historic and CIE partnered with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team to host a Q&A session with Lewis Hamilton for students from Fundación UNAM and Fundación Politécnico, followed by garage tours that provided a fascinating insight into the sport.

The judging panel noted how well organisers knew their market and looked after fans for what was a “spectacular and unique” event.

Las Vegas Grand Prix

For its second year as a Formula 1 venue, the Las Vegas Grand Prix introduced new elements aimed at enhancing on-track action and fan experiences.

A Mercedes 1-2, with George Russell leading home Lewis Hamilton, was the highlight of a memorable weekend which also saw Max Verstappen claim his fourth successive world championship.

An ice rink on the roof of the Paddock Club, Gordon Ramsay hosting dinner in his own garage couples tying the knot with Elvis at a Paddock Club-themed wedding chapel gave the distinct Las Vegas vibe.

The introduction of Ferrari Challenge as a support series added to the spectacle, which made use of iconic landmarks such as the Sphere, while organisers also introduced 10,000 more ticket options with more general admission tickets made available.

Judges were pleased to see Vegas doing things differently, including a unique all-inclusive ticket option, with “vast” improvements from year one to year two and further moves to “look after fans”.

South Florida Motorsports – Miami Grand Prix

Miami once again staged one of the most memorable races of the 2024 Formula 1 season, as Lando Norris took his maiden victory.

As well as the on-track action South Florida Motorsports (SFM) also invested in the paddock, including a team village on the Miami Dolphins football field, also offering fans a unique view of the inner workings of an F1 paddock, with spectators able to access the Hard Rock Stadium.

The now iconic dry-dock Marina was again in place and Miami again set a high bar from a hospitality perspective.

The commitment to the Miami Gardens community also saw SFM provide local children with garage tours, F1 team talks and a pit lane walk as well as distributing tickets to local residents.

Judges noted that Miami had used learnings from 2022 and 2023 and it was now more than “just a destination” with lots to do for fans and that it had “quickly established” itself as “a premium in F1” and was becoming “what the Monaco Grand Prix used to be”.

In this article
Mark Mann-Bryans
Autosport Awards
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