OUR STORY

It all started when American newspaper baron, James Gordon Bennett, seized upon the excitement that new city-to-city racing fostered and through his newspapers, the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune, and established the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1900 as a new European event.

The Gordon Bennett Cup raced on a route that started and ended at the same place, further building excitement and making it easier for the press to capture the stories and photographs that they needed to fill their pages. This aspect was to prove decisive in the evolution of racing, because in 1903, city-to-city events were outlawed due to unmanageable public safety concerns. From now on, closed loops of roads – circuits – would become the norm.

The first ever Grand Prix, for which the ‘Big Prize’ was 45,000 French francs (equal to 28 lb of gold) was held over two days on June 26-27, 1906 on a 64-mile course on closed roads around the historic city of Le Mans.

The Grand Prix became firmly established as the biggest race in Europe, and in 1908 the US Grand Prize (as it was then called) was held on a 17-mile course on roads around the Island of Hope district of Savannah, Georgia.

In the 1920s, American involvement in Grand Prix racing tailed off with the rise of short oval circuits at fairgrounds which delivered a barnstorming all-action form of affordable competition. Meanwhile the growth of racing in Europe saw the establishment of a World Championship in 1925.

In 1945 the newly-formed Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) created two new categories, known as Formula 2 and Formula 1 respectively, and for 1950 the new FIA Formula 1 World Championship for drivers was founded, hosting its first race at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

There was no United States Grand Prix on the calendar in the first years of the World Championship, but instead the Indianapolis 500 became a points-scoring round from 1950 until 1960. Meanwhile a Manufacturers’ Championship was added to that for Drivers in 1958.

In 1959, the first Formula 1 Grand Prix was held in America at Sebring in Florida, where the World Championship was dramatically decided in favor of the independent Cooper team with its revolutionary cars powered by engines that were mounted behind the driver. Thus began the modern era of design, while the US Grand Prix moved to a new permanent home in 1961: Watkins Glen in upstate New York.

America’s first Formula 1 World Champion was also crowned in 1961: Miami-born Phil Hill, driving for the most celebrated team of them all, Scuderia Ferrari. A second American race, the US GP West, was added to the calendar in 1976 on the streets of Long Beach, California and in 1978 American racing legend Mario Andretti added the F1 World Championship title to his storied racing career alongside sports car titles, the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar titles and the Daytona 500.

Through the 1980s, Formula 1 in America moved from Long Beach and Watkins Glen to Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix before going on hiatus in 1992. It would return in 2000 to a new road racing course on the infield of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where it would remain until 2008. In 2012 a new venue for the US Grand Prix was completed in Austin Texas, the Circuit of The Americas, and then in April 2021 it was announced that Miami would be adding a new destination city to the global F1 schedule.

The first Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, held on May 6-8, 2022, was a sell-out success in which 242,955 spectators visited the Miami International Autodrome over the three days, making it the most attended event in the history of Hard Rock Stadium. The inaugural F1 weekend began with a spectacular opening party, where drivers, team bosses and special guests made a special appearance on the podium, followed by a DJ set from Kygo.

On-track, the Ferraris locked out the front row of the grid in qualifying on Saturday, with Charles Leclerc on pole ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz. But it was Max Verstappen who triumphed in the first-ever F1 race in Miami Gardens, winning after 57 laps by just 3.7s from Leclerc. Sainz completed the podium in third ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.

After being given a police escort motorcade through Hard Rock Stadium, the top three drivers then appeared on the podium wearing NFL-style helmets. The football theme continued when Verstappen was presented with his winner’s trophy by Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino.

The 2022 edition of the race hosted celebrities from the realms of music and film in addition to sporting superstars who enjoyed the world-class VIP guest experience. Stars at the track included David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, LeBron James, Winnie Harlow, Paris Hilton and Pharrell who joined Miami Dolphins players and Head Coach Mike McDaniel on the grid before the race, while DJ Tiësto, Maluma, The Chainsmokers and Post Malone provided the soundtrack to an amazing festival atmosphere.

Ahead of the second edition of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, organizers South Florida Motorsports, announced a major investment into the infrastructure of the circuit, with the introduction of a brand-new permanent Paddock Club building constructed above the pit garages. The F1 Paddock was expanded onto the field of Hard Rock Stadium, while all the areas around the Campus were enhanced and increased in capacity. Additionally, Formula 1 circuit specialists Tilke oversaw track resurfacing to improve the spectacle of the 2023 race.

After scoring pole position in the first year, Charles Leclerc made a mistake in qualifying in his Ferrari in 2023 and spun into the wall. The crash ended the session early, placing the reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, ninth on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The top spot was taken by his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez.

But Verstappen turned the tables on race day and quickly moved towards the front of the field. He made a dramatic late-race pass on Pérez to take a thrilling victory at Turn 1, with just nine laps to the checkered flag. The crowd leapt to their feet as the pass was a fitting climax to a thrilling race. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso joined the Red Bull pair on the podium to record his fourth top-three finish of the season ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.

In addition to the exciting action on the track, the sell-out crowd were treated to a full day of entertainment at the Miami International Autodrome. There was music from award-winning DJs Tiësto and Cedric Gervais headlining at the Hard Rock Beach Club, and FISHER performed a set to round out the weekend after the podium celebrations. There were also pre-grid performances from the bilingual Latin girl group Bella Dose, while the national anthem was sung by chart topping Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, GALE. The pre-race grid ceremonies were a new feature for 2023 with LL COOL J announcing each of the 20 drivers in turn, conducted by Will.I.Am and attended by the F1 Grid Kids, local children from the Miami Gardens community.

Also in 2023, Formula 1 returned to Las Vegas for the first time since 1981. The inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, hosted along the famous Las Vegas Strip, brought the third race on the calendar to the United States – the most of any country. While Charles Leclerc qualified on pole, it was Max Verstappen who took the checkered flag for his 18th race win of the season.

For the 2024 season, Miami was chosen as one of six F1 venues to host a Sprint race, meaning an extra, shorter-distance race on the Saturday, ensuring competitive action across all three days. Additionally, the track was also picked to host a round of the new all-female single-seater F1 ACADEMY series.

When the action began on Friday, it was Max Verstappen who set the quickest time at the Miami International Autodrome to achieve pole position for the Sprint race, just 0.108s faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Verstappen then did the double the following day, taking victory in the Sprint and setting the fastest time to achieve pole position for the main event. His achievement maintained his 100 percent record of starting from first  at every race up to that point in 2024.

But there was more history to be made the following day as McLaren’s Lando Norris scored a brilliant maiden victory at the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix in front of a sell-out crowd. Verstappen finished second with Leclerc in third place.

After starting fifth on the grid in his 110th F1 start, Norris took advantage of a late-race safety car to climb the order and jump into the lead. The 24-year-old praised his McLaren team and was delighted to have finally stood on the top step of the podium.

A three-day attendance of 275,799 enjoyed a spectacular weekend of exciting racing and off-track entertainment, up over 5,000 from the previous year and an increase of 45,000 from the inaugural event in 2022. It was once again a popular destination for famous figures from the sporting world and celebrities from the film and music industry. Race-day performances came from Kaytranada and Kaskade, while Marc Anthony performed the National Anthem on the grid.

Stars who made appearances throughout race weekend included LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Zinedine Zidane, Zayn Malik, Shakira, Camila Cabello, Ludacris, Keke Palmer, Kendall Jenner, Tommy Hilfiger, and Charlotte Tilbury. Thai singer and Blackpink member Lisa also waved the checkered flag for the main event.Finally, a special Bonhams Car auction featured 23 super cars and the star of the show was a 2011 Ferrari SP30 Berlinetta, which fetched over $2 million.