How's the Miami Grand Prix faring after three F1 races?

The Miami Grand Prix just had its three-year anniversary last weekend, and we stopped by to see how it was doing and what it’s like to attend a Formula 1 race there now that it’s an established circuit.

The backdrop isn’t your traditional city circuit setup, as F1 uses the various parking lots and some of the streets surrounding the Miami Dolphins football stadium as its track. A parking lot doesn’t sound like it can communicate the glitz and glam of what F1 presents itself as. And in reality, there’s a lot of truth to that. Unlike other street circuits like Monaco or Las Vegas, you don’t have special landmarks or a city center always in view, though TV helicopters do well to pan miles away at hopping downtown Miami to give that city feel to viewers. In person, there’s the Hard Rock Stadium, which does a lot of heavy lifting for pumping up the pomp and circumstance. Football-themed activities take place with the drivers; the ultra-luxe Paddock Club is attached to the stadium suites, and when you’re in the midst of all that, it sure does feel cool, posh and polished.

The Fan Experience

Most fans aren’t hanging out in the exclusive-access areas, though, and a total of about 275,000 people (about 5,000 more than last year) came through the gates over the three-day race weekend. I took a walk – both on the track and through the various in-track zones – to see what the whole grounds had to offer. First impressions: It’s hot! Since the track is nowhere close to the actual city of Miami or the beachfront, it’s miles away from any refreshing ocean breeze that could cool things down. The weather is something the drivers and teams mentioned constantly throughout the weekend. Being in a sun-drenched grandstand or general admission will mean hours of brutally hot weather. Weirdly, it’s the opposite of Las Vegas, which was cold due to its night start time in the desert and November slot on the schedule. Thankfully, the racing that took place over the Miami weekend was worth getting a sunburn over, as McLaren’s Lando Norris earned his first career F1 victory, triumphing over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

General admission lets you hangout and watch in a few different zones around the track (even some small, raised platforms), but none offer the sort of comprehensive track views one might get at a race like Austin or more traditional European racing venues. In Miami, you’re either standing near the fence, or peering over others standing near the fence, making a grandstand seat essentially a requirement to enjoy ideal views of the action. It’s just the reality of the situation when you have an almost entirely flat track, as all the best racing is not going to be seen from street level. For those reasons, I think Austin is the place to go in the U.S. for the best views and racing atmosphere. Massive grassy knolls give way to expansive track views while hordes of passionate F1 fans get there early and crowd in – somehow pretty much everyone can still end up with great racing views.