I Attended My First Formula 1 Grand Prix In Miami. Here's Everything I Experienced And The One Thing I Didn't Expect.

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07-05-2025

The year is 2022. I open Netflix, looking for something, anything, to distract me from the world. I stumble upon a trailer for a series that I had vaguely heard of before, but knew next to nothing about. That series was Drive to Survive, and, seeing as how it first premiered in 2019, multiple seasons were available to watch. I pressed play. And before I knew it, I'd watched every episode available.
Since burning through the available episodes in 2022, I've followed the world of Formula 1 both through the show and outside of the show. I watch races live (when the time zones allow), I follow fan accounts on X/Twitter, I joined subreddits, and I even found a new way to bond with my uncle in his 70s, who has followed F1 since he was a kid.
Prior to finding Drive to Survive on Netflix, the world of Formula 1 racing was a complete mystery to me. You could have said, " Lewis Hamilton was robbed of his 8th world championship," and I would have been like, "Who is Lewis Hamilton?" Embarrassing to think about now. Sorry to Sir Lewis Hamilton.
But discovering the world of Formula 1 via Drive to Survive opened me to a world that I may not have known anything about, but suddenly couldn't get enough of. I was fascinated by this sport that had captivated a worldwide audience, and was so cutthroat that I could barely keep track of who was driving for whom from race to race or season to season. (Miss you, Daniel Ricciardo.) I suddenly found myself able to understand what "DRS" meant, and before I knew it, I was liking every single TikTok related to Toto Wolff that I could get my eyes on.
So, this year, when I received an email in my inbox asking to potentially attend and consider covering the Miami Grand Prix (May 2-4, 2025) for BuzzFeed, I let out a little yelp. And, when the stars aligned and made it so it could actually happen, I spent a week in southern Florida to attend the Miami Grand Prix.
While Formula 1 is not new to the world or to the United States, it's experienced a resurgence as of late and now has multiple races in the United States. (It actually shocked me to learn that there once was a Formula 1 race in my home state of Indiana. Kind of iconic.) Prior to 2012, there was a hiatus for Formula 1 races in the United States, but since then, three have been added, with a rumored but unverified fourth potentially coming in Chicago.
The current races in the states are:
— The Miami Grand Prix (May 2-4, 2025).
— Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at COTA in Austin, TX (October 17-19, 2025).
— And the Las Vegas Grand Prix (November 20-22, 2025).
If you're new to Formula 1 as I once was, or if you're a seasoned fan who has yet to make it to the Miami Grand Prix, I'm here to give you a full breakdown of my weekend.
First things first...where to stay.
While it is branded as the "Miami" Grand Prix, the Miami International Autodrome is located about 17 miles north of Miami in Miami Gardens, FL. So if you're thinking about going, you don't have to stay in Miami to make it to the race, but you also can stay in Miami because there are many shuttle options available for fans. And who wouldn't want to stay in Miami?
But something I did not recall about this part of Florida from any of my other trips prior to 2022 was the amount of traffic in the area, especially on a race weekend. And the fact that every single road is a toll road. It took at least an hour to get to Miami and back. I live in Los Angeles, and I'm still not sure I've experienced traffic akin to that of Southern Florida.
So while I did fly into Miami for the event, I ended up staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, and it would have been closer to fly into Fort Lauderdale. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is only about 10 miles from the Miami International Autodrome where the race is held, and it's also right across the street from one of the largest shuttle areas provided free of charge (and running every 15 minutes) for fans — Lot 70.
You do not have to stay at the hotel to utilize the shuttles — nor is this the only shuttle lot in the area — but if you think you will get a rideshare directly to the race, I am telling you now that you will not. The shuttles are the best way to get to and from the race, and they are so efficient! I was actually lucky enough to be offered a "VIP Shuttle" from the hotel (it just had a different pick-up spot), but I ended up using the free shuttles from Lot 70 the whole weekend because they were that efficient and easy. Outside of the race being such a fun, wild experience (more on that later), the shuttles were one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Not because I am like obsessed with riding shuttles or anything, but because I love convenience and not being stuck in traffic.
Back to the hotel. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is HUGE. I had never been before, and let me tell you, when I first walked in, I was *overwhelmed.* I got to stay in the GUITAR HOTEL, which is exactly as it sounds: A hotel shaped like a giant guitar. It's a sight to see in person, and you can see it from miles away. I arrived late on a Tuesday night before race weekend after a long flight and rental car mishaps. The hotel offers free parking, so after I got my car parked and luggage out, I made my way inside, only to realize that this complex was huge. Multiple hotels + a casino + 15,000 square feet of pool space alone. After just a few minutes inside and realizing that there were maps and signage everywhere, I found my way to the check-in counter for the Guitar Hotel part of this massive complex, but yeah, it's not like my average Hampton Inn (complimentary).
And, as you can see, the Hard Rock was definitely a place for fans to gather, with a Red Bull car in the lobby for fans to admire (but not touch, duh).
And here's a look at my standard King room with a pool view, located on the 14th floor. I had absolutely zero complaints about this room. There was a robe to use, room service available, a very comfortable bed with crisp white sheets, an amazingly spacious shower, and somehow the windows were soundproof enough that a full concert at the pool just 14 floors below wasn't enough to disturb my slumber.
While I was provided this room free of charge, a 6-night stay at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino would range anywhere between $240-$500/night. So, as we continue, just keep in mind that if you do not live locally to Southern Florida, you will be spending some serious cash to attend the Miami Grand Prix. No part of F1 is cheap, so please consider this a warning and proceed with lowered expectations. But if this hotel happens to be within your budget, I highly recommend staying here for race weekend (or just on a random Tuesday!). The property boasts 16 different food options, a gigantic pool space, and gambling options galore if that's your thing.
Moving on, let's get into the actual Miami Grand Prix weekend...
While the actual grand prix is on Sunday, per usual, the Miami Grand Prix offers a full weekend(+, tbh) of activities for fans and spectators. Starting with events on Friday, a Sprint race and qualifying on Saturday, and F1 Academy races and practices throughout the weekend, there is no shortage of things to experience.
While I was offered a Paddock pass to cover from a media perspective — more on this later — my boyfriend actually accompanied me to Miami on his own dime and bought a general campus pass for the weekend, which, as you can see below, came at the price of $430 for all three days (or $350 just for Sunday). This included access to the campus every day, but no actual stadium seats. If you want to be able to sit and watch the cars go by in front of you, a campus pass is not the best option. While there are spots to watch the actual track from the general campus, and TVs to see the actual race, the ability to see the track and race itself is best viewed via the stadium or one of the (expensive, but very cool) VIP-like options such as the Paddock Club, or the MIA Marina.
To put this in perspective with other big, weekend-long events, Coachella comes at a cost of $599 for Weekend Two and $649 for Weekend One for general passes, and goes up from there. While I'm not here to pretend that spending $430 on a weekend pass is something everyone can or should do, it is in line with Formula 1 grand prix prices. I was glad that my boyfriend had the cheapest option for entry because I got to experience both sides: having access to the Paddock, which could come at a hefty price for your average fan, and one of the cheaper options of a weekend pass, which is seemingly the most affordable option.
Having access to the Paddock was a dream come true. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. I felt absolutely giddy all weekend, brushing shoulders with influencers and celebrities alike while seeing Lando Norris quickly walk by to get to the McLaren garage. But it was also a reminder of the level of wealth that can be associated with Formula 1. I mean, these cars cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. The drivers themselves make so much money I can't even think about it, and there is a worldwide fanbase that encompasses so much wealth it almost makes you quiver to think about it. While it's easy to think about billionaires when you think about Formula 1, I also think about the fans who may have stumbled into this world and are just there to connect with other fans and experience something they may have dreamt about for years.
I got to meet people of all ages and backgrounds who were there for one thing: to enjoy themselves and this sport. I think it's easy to write off Formula 1 for the rich, but after experiencing the Miami Grand Prix myself, I can say that while there is wealth on display, there's also your everyday average American. PS I think you should all check out one of my new fave F1 influencers — Sav_Lam — who DIY'd some incredible outfits for the Miami Grand Prix.
The Miami Grand Prix is truly a star-studded event, especially if you have access to the Paddock or the Paddock Club. I saw Patrick Mahomes, Jason Oppenheim, Timothée Chalamet, Stassi Schroeder, and DJ Khaled, to name a few. Obviously, I was most excited about Stassi as I would recognize a reality TV star anywhere.
I spent a lot of my time in the Paddock, because how could you not? It has direct access to the team garages, you even get free coffee...As I found out when I took out my credit card to pay for my iced oat milk vanilla latte and they shook their head and essentially said girlie pop it's free back here.
The paddock also had a ton of places to lounge, and bathrooms that were not porta-potties, so you bet your bottom dollar I took advantage of the sheer luck of me being allowed back there. And as I mentioned before, you actually can see all the drivers back there if you time it right. If in the future I ever have the funds — aka a few thousand to spare — I would 100% splurge on Paddock access because I cannot tell you the rush I felt when I saw Charles LeClerc (very quickly) walk by in the vicinity before the race. It really was everything that was promised and more.
The Miami Grand Prix also has a ton to offer outside of just the race. The Miami Autodrome is huge, and you would be making a mistake to wear any shoes that you cannot walk comfortably in. I was walking 10k+ steps a day, just going around looking at all the food/beverage options and the fan experiences.
As for the bathrooms, well, get ready to use a porta-potty if you have a general campus pass. But I will say, I've peed in worse places. There are levels to porta-potties, and these were some of the nicer ones.
Porta-potties don't faze me at this point, but I was a bit shocked upon seeing the prices for merch. I naively didn't pack a hat (despite knowing the Florida sun could be intense) because I thought I would just purchase one at the event. I was trying to decide if I wanted to go all in on a Ferrari hat to support Lewis Hamilton's new team, or if I would throw Williams some support. That is...until I saw the prices. The cheapest hat I saw cost $70, but this was in line with their prices for other merch as well.
Lara Parker
Here's some other shots of merchandise:
Lara Parker
One of the best parts of the whole experience for me was getting to do a Pit Lane walk. This was offered to anyone with a Paddock Club pass, which, as it turns out, was a lot of people, as I was absolutely surrounded on all sides, but I cannot tell you how incredible it was to see these cars and crews up close. There's obviously always a lot of focus on the drivers, but the engineering, data, and work from hundreds of thousands of people behind the scenes that go into making these machines is beyond comprehension. It's an experience I will treasure for years to come.
Lara Parker
PS I had no idea how loud it was in real life. You should definitely pack earplugs if you go to a Formula 1 race!!
Now, enough of me being extra lucky with my paddock pass, let's talk about food and beverage...
Lara Parker
I was pleasantly surprised by just how many food and beverage options there were. I mean, I felt like it never ended! It was genuinely hard to decide what to eat and drink. There were a ton of local Florida food vendors and a ton of options to keep you cool on hot, humid Florida days. You can see some of the options below.
Lara Parker
And even if I felt like the merch prices were more than I expected, the food prices felt pretty in line with other sporting events I've attended. I mean, have you seen the drink prices at the US Open?!
Lara Parker
I do regret not trying the arepa stand. Next time...
Lara Parker
I got a spicy tuna poke bowl, which cost $24, but $31.10 with tip, and it was honestly very good.
Lara Parker
The frosted lemonade was so good.
Lara Parker
At the end of my race weekend, on Sunday afternoon, I left the paddock to venture out into the general area to see what it would be like to watch the race. I grabbed a bite to eat, ventured into the Food Garage, and watched the Miami Grand Prix on a TV surrounded by other fans. There were loud cheers, smiles ear-to-ear, and general camaraderie. Even though we couldn't physically see the track as well as those with stadium seats, we could hear it. Honestly, I thought it might feel disappointing at first, but it was perfect.
Lara Parker
I don't know if I'll ever be lucky enough to attend a Formula 1 Grand Prix with a paddock pass again, but I will truthfully cherish this experience for the foreseeable future. Is it expensive? Yes. Was I absolutely exhausted by the end of the weekend? Also yes.
Lara Parker
But there's something magical about getting to see a Formula 1 race in real life.
Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images
BuzzFeed was provided a Paddock pass free of charge but was under no obligation to provide positive coverage.