Miami Grand Prix

A waterfront street circuit in 1983 proved Miami was always ready for the race.

Promoter Ralph Sanchez staged the first Grand Prix of Miami at Bicentennial Park, a temporary street circuit on the downtown waterfront. The race featured the IMSA GT Championship, bringing sports car racing to the city for the first time. It proved Miami had both the appetite and the climate for top-level motorsport, and Sanchez would continue promoting races in the area for years to come.

Thirty years of building a racing pedigree, yet Formula 1 always remained the prize just out of reach.

CART IndyCar racing came to Miami, adding open-wheel competition to the city's growing motorsport portfolio. Over the following three decades, various series including the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am would hold races across different Miami-area circuits. The city was building a genuine racing pedigree, though the ultimate prize, a Formula 1 world championship round, remained out of reach.

A stadium car park turned racing circuit; sometimes the pragmatic fix is the inspired one.

After years of negotiations and several failed bids to host a race on downtown Miami streets, Formula 1 and the Miami Dolphins organisation shifted focus to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The NFL venue's vast surrounding land offered the space for a purpose-built circuit without the political complications of closing city-centre roads. It was a pragmatic solution that would prove inspired.

A ten-year commitment, a 5.4-kilometre ribbon of tarmac through a car park. Formula 1 builds big when it believes.

In April 2021, Formula 1 officially confirmed a ten-year agreement to race in Miami starting in 2022. Construction of the Miami International Autodrome began around Hard Rock Stadium, with Apex Circuit Design tasked with creating a 5.412-kilometre layout threading through the stadium's car parks and access roads. The circuit would feature 19 turns, three DRS zones, and a long back straight designed to encourage overtaking.

Over 240,000 fans witnessed Verstappen pass Leclerc and take Miami's first Formula 1 victory by less than four seconds.

On 8 May 2022, the first Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix took place before a capacity crowd of over 240,000 across the race weekend. Max Verstappen took victory for Red Bull, overtaking Charles Leclerc's Ferrari to win by 3.7 seconds. The occasion was a cultural phenomenon as much as a sporting one, with celebrity appearances, a fake marina complete with moored yachts, and a festival atmosphere that set the tone for everything that followed.

Pérez topped a Red Bull one-two in Miami, with Verstappen happy to play wingman for once.

The second running of the Miami Grand Prix on 7 May 2023 saw Sergio Pérez take victory for Red Bull, leading home his teammate Verstappen in a dominant one-two finish. There was no sprint race in 2023; the weekend followed the standard grand prix format. Circuit modifications improved the racing, and the occasion continued to draw huge crowds and global attention as F1's American expansion gathered pace.

Nearly two and a half years without a win ended as Norris crossed the line in Miami, securing his maiden victory for McLaren.

The 2024 Miami Grand Prix, held on 5 May, produced one of the season's defining moments. Lando Norris won his first ever Formula 1 race, taking victory for McLaren after a dramatic battle with Verstappen. It was McLaren's first grand prix win since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. The weekend also featured a sprint race for the first time at Miami, adding an extra competitive dimension to the schedule.

Miami's fourth Grand Prix is firmly established as one of Formula 1's marquee weekends, with the ten-year deal securing its place through 2031.

The fourth running of the Miami Grand Prix took place on 4 May 2025, with the occasion now firmly established as one of the marquee weekends on the Formula 1 calendar. The sprint format returned, and the race continued to attract record crowds and global broadcast audiences. With the ten-year deal running through to 2031, Miami's place in the sport looks secure for years to come.