Miami Grand Prix track mocked for fake harbour

Florida will host its first Formula 1 race in 63 years this weekend, with the Miami Grand Prix getting underway on Monday morning at 5.30am AEST.

For the fifth round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship, drivers will complete 57 laps around the 5.4km Miami International Autodrome circuit, which features 19 corners and surrounds Hard Rock Stadium.

It will be the 11th venue in the United States to host an F1 race, and 77th overall.

But as images of the venue began circulating social media this week, motorsport fans couldn't help by giggle at the fake marina, located in the infield section of the track.

It was originally planned for the Miami Grand Prix to take place alongside the city's waterfront, but the track has instead been carved out of the Hard Rock Stadium carpark.

Hoping to recreate a harbour atmosphere, several boats have been towed to the inside of Turn 7, with water-coloured wallpaper replicating the Miami marina.

Needless to say, the internet couldn't resist poking fun at the faux harbour — located 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

But popular F1 pundit Will Buxton defended the track on Twitter: "Faux outrage at a fake marina, when F1 could have been racing in a non descript car park. Think praise for the incredible job the folks in Miami have done on the campus is more fitting. Gonna be fun when folks realise F1 is racing past a fake Eiffel Tower in Vegas next year."

More than 80,000 fans are expected to attend this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, with pre-sale tickets selling out in less than 40 minutes.

"Growing up knowing how amazing the sport is and seeing that there was still quite a disconnect between the US and the rest of the world in terms of the passion for this sport, it's really amazing to see that we've cracked it and there's a growing love in the States," seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said this week.

"There are massive sporting fans out there. And I mean, Miami is going to be an experience for all of us, for the racing community, for those that are the fans out there that are watching, the fans that are going to be flying in that maybe have never been there before. The US has a lot to offer in that space. So, it's super exciting.

"It's been nerve-racking because it's going to be such a huge event. We obviously had the race in Austin, Texas, which has always been amazing. The first race I had out here was Indianapolis, 2007. Now we have two Grands Prix in the States and another one in Vegas next year. It's going to be huge.

"I've been coming out here for a long time and I never quite understood why people weren't into Formula 1 … as I said this Netflix show particularly through the pandemic has brought massive awareness to the show and now it's booming."