Speed and Sunshine: F1 in Miami

We were finally able to attend the Miami F1 Grand Prix, an event we've been aiming to go to since its inaugural race a few years back.

On our way to Miami, we made a stop in Naples and stayed at the AC Hotel Naples 5^th Avenue, a property built in 2023 and located about half a mile from the renowned restaurants and shops on 5^th Avenue. The hotel features an elegant rooftop bar and pool. We dined at Brooks Burger, a family-owned restaurant that was ranked as the second-best Burger Joint in the United States. While they have expanded to several locations, we ate at the original downtown restaurant. They serve great burgers.

The following day, a Friday, we headed straight to the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in the morning for the race. We had purchased a 3-day Grandstand package along with parking passes. Since we bought our tickets just a few weeks earlier, our parking spot wasn't ideal, requiring us to walk a mile in the sun each time. On our way to our seats, we passed numerous restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. Upon finding our seats, we were thrilled with their location, right in front of the starting grid and across from the McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bulls, and Mercedes boxes. While we appreciate all the teams, we are fans of the Mercedes F1 team and wore their colors throughout the three days. The weekend's events included a Sprint Race on Saturday, and we watched from the Grandstand the qualifications for that race, which lasted about an hour.

Later, we drove to our hotel, the Marenas Beach Resort, situated about half an hour away in Sunny Isles Beach, close to the Aventura Mall. We received an upgrade to an Ocean Front studio with an amazing view. We really liked this property, particularly the very attentive and friendly staff. The only downside is that, like most Miami hotels, the pool is shaded by 3:00 pm, so you need to be on the beach to enjoy the sun. This wasn't a concern for us since we were there for the race.        

We had dinner at The Green Pointe, a charming restaurant located in Aventura. It’s just a 5-minute Uber ride from the hotel. The restaurant is nestled within Mystic Pointe, a gated community. We ate on the terrace. Their carpaccio, pasta, and branzino were outstanding.

On Saturday, the Sprint race took place at noon. It's similar to a regular Grand Prix but significantly shorter, lasting under 20 laps. We were settled in our seats, but due to the rain, we had to move to some higher seats for shelter before the race began. Luckily, the rain stopped before noon, allowing us to enjoy the Sprint from our original seats.

The qualifications for the main race were scheduled at 4:00 pm that day, but we opted to skip them and head back to the hotel. That day, the first Saturday in May, was also the day of the Kentucky Derby, so we had reserved tickets at Gulfstream Park, a thoroughbred horse racetrack, casino, and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach. Our tickets granted us access to the Carousel Club, located right on the racetrack. The horse track hosted a few races that afternoon and it was enjoyable to watch them live, followed by viewing the Kentucky Derby on a large screen a few hours later. After the race, we had a quick bite at the Yard House nearby, before going back to our hotel.

Sunday was race day. We left the hotel around 10:00 am to arrive early at Hard Rock Stadium for the pre-race activities. A highlight was the parade of life-sized LEGO F1 cars. Ten electric LEGO cars were specially constructed for the event, and the pilots raced a lap around the circuit in them. One pilot drove while their teammate sat on the car, which was hilarious. It was the best pre-race event ever. Despite intermittent rain, we were fortunate to be in our seats for the 4:00 pm start of the Miami Grand Prix. Although the race wasn't as spectacular and dramatic as the Sprint, it was still fantastic. The McLaren cars of Piastri and Norris finished first and second, while Russell, our Mercedes driver, came in third. We were thrilled to see him on the podium. The event drew a record-breaking attendance of 275,000 spectators over three days, with Sunday being the busiest. We drove back to the beach and had dinner at Houston’s in North Miami Beach. It was very busy that night, so we enjoyed our favorite Rotisserie Chicken at the bar. It was a perfect ending to a fantastic Grand Prix weekend.