The Miami Grand Prix just celebrated its third anniversary last weekend and we stopped by to see how it went and what it’s like to attend a Formula 1 race there now that it’s an established circuit.
The setting is not a traditional street circuit setup, as Formula 1 uses the various parking lots and some streets around the Miami Dolphins football stadium as a track. A car park doesn’t seem to be able to convey the glitz and glamor of what Formula 1 presents itself as. And in reality there is a lot of truth to it. Unlike other city circuits like Monaco or Las Vegas, you don’t always have a view of particular landmarks or a city center, although television helicopters do well to pan for miles over downtown Miami to give viewers the feel of a city. Personally, there’s the Hard Rock Stadium, which does a lot of the heavy lifting to spice up the pomp and atmosphere. Football-themed activities take place with the drivers; The ultra-luxurious Paddock Club is attached to the stadium suites and when you’re in the thick of it, it definitely feels cool, plush and elegant.
The fan experience
However, most fans do not stay in the exclusively accessible areas and a total of around 275,000 people came through the gates on the three-day racing weekend (around 5,000 more than last year). I took a walk – both on the track and through the different zones within the track – to see what the entire area had to offer. First impression: It’s hot! Since the route is nowhere near the actual city of Miami or the beach, it’s miles away from any refreshing sea breeze that might cool you down. The weather was constantly mentioned by the drivers and teams throughout the weekend. Sitting in a sunlit stand or general admission area means hours of brutally hot weather. Oddly enough, it’s the opposite of Las Vegas, where it was cold due to the nighttime desert start time and November schedule. Luckily, the race that took place in Miami over the weekend was worthy of sunburn as McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed his first career F1 victory, triumphing over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
General admission allows you to hang out and watch in a few different areas around the track (even on some small, elevated platforms), but none offer the comprehensive view of the track that you might get at a race like Austin or more traditional European racing venues . In Miami, you either stand near the fence or look over the others standing near the fence, so a seat in the stands is essential to get the best view of the action. It’s just the reality of having an almost completely flat track as you can’t see the best racing from the road. For these reasons, I think Austin is the place in the USA to have the best views and racing atmosphere. Huge grassy hills make way for sweeping views of the race track, while hordes of passionate F1 fans arrive early and crowd around – somehow pretty much everyone can still enjoy a great view of the race.
Now, if you’re interested in an F1 race weekend that features big-name artists – this year Ed Sheeran, Steve Aoki and Don Omar performed – then Miami could be the place for you. Across the route, Hard Rock Beach Club hosts all the music concerts and is home to the viral food awards you may have seen on social media. The sight of $190 chicken wings, $280 lobster rolls, and $400 for an ounce of caviar on a menu is enough to provoke major outrage. However, race organizers made it clear that these posts lacked context as the prizes are intended to feed a number of people. Autosport reported that Tom Garfinkel, president and CEO of Hard Rock Stadium, said they would pay that price and have enough of the food to feed about 10 people. That still works out to $28 per person for a serving of lobster rolls, but it’s far more in line with typical sporting event prices. It’s also in line with what people in the area might be able to afford—beach club tickets ranged from $1,750 to $65,000, depending on the size of the space booked. That might sound like crazy money, but it’s the type of clientele Formula 1 wants to sell to. Additionally, there are many cheaper ticket options for general admission or regular grandstands – a three-day “Campus Pass” (general admission) was $450 this year.
America’s Monaco?
The question of whether the Miami GP lives up to the royalty it is trying to sell itself as (America’s Monaco?) is more complex to answer. His fake marina, with boats sitting on a raised platform against a “water” background, is still in place and remains one of the strangest props in sports. But on the other hand, nearby cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale are party hotspots, which alone are enough to draw people to the area, although it’s disappointing that the route doesn’t go through Miami itself. The type of people who make the journey here are most likely not the same ones who make the journey to more traditional Formula 1 circuits with fewer nearby attractions, such as the Red Bull Ring in Austria or remote Belgium, to experience Formula 1 to Spa. And if the racing is still good, like it was very good in Miami, that’s the most important part.
I would even argue that races like Miami have the potential to attract more people to the sport and become hardcore F1 fans because the attractive environment makes it easier to say “yes” and show up to a race weekend. This effect is likely to be strongest in the United States, where the sport has seen such tremendous growth in recent years. Of course, there’s a fine line here between appealing to new fans and annoying long-time racegoers, but Miami believes it can find its way to put together a comprehensive race weekend that’s accessible to all.
From conversations with race organizers, the improvements to the pedestrian bridges, activations and atmosphere have done much to improve the spectacle of an F1 race from the first race in Miami to date. As we are only three races into a ten-race contract, there are many more on the agenda.
However, in the coming years there will continue to be questions about whether Las Vegas is the hot new hangout for celebrities, big names and people with tons of money. Miami still hosted plenty of celebrities this year, but it’s hard to compete with a night race on the Las Vegas Strip when you’re going for star power. However, that doesn’t mean Miami has lost its spot on the calendar. Each of the US races has its own personality and will appeal to a certain type of fan more than others. Where you fall on the fandom scale occasional Formula 1 observer (try Miami) too I’ve seen every race ever (Go straight to Austin) will tell you which is the right place for you.