The FanAmp Team attended the Miami Grand Prix - here's what we saw, from the best grandstand to catch on-track action, to amazing food and drinks, and all the best kept secrets - including how to attend on a budget and the free shuttles.
The Miami Grand Prix just celebrated its 3rd birthday and every year the event organizers challenge themselves to ‘up their game’. This was the first year that I attended this race, having previously attended the Canadian Grand Prix, US Grand Prix (at COTA), and the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. While American races (especially Miami) are notoriously expensive, I want to share with you not only my experience (and how surprised I was by the Miami GP), but how to attend this race without breaking the bank.
If you want to hear more about activities in and around the Miami Grand Prix during the race week, check out FanAmp’s article Miami GP Pop-Ups, Fan Zones, and off-track activities that you can't miss!
One of the largest ‘barriers to entry’ for fans attending the Miami Grand Prix is the high prices of tickets. While Miami boasts nearly a dozen VIP clubs and suite options for F1 fans, the campus pass is definitely worth considering, and there are ways to snag grandstand tickets for under face value!
Let’s talk about the grandstands first. A standard Miami Grand Prix grandstand ticket retails for approximately $1000 - $1100 on the Miami Grand Prix website. I can confidently report that for a ticket in the Marina Grandstand on Friday, and North Beach Grandstand on Saturday, I spent $120 total ($40 for Friday and $80 for Saturday). While resale for Sunday was still expensive, many resale tickets for grandstands were selling for around $350 - $400. In total, had I decided to attend the race on Sunday, I would have spent ~$500 for grandstand tickets rather than the face value cost. I purchased my resale tickets on Stubhub, but tickets on Vivid Seats and SeatGeek were similarly priced.
The other popular option for Miami Grand Prix tickets is their ‘Campus Pass’, General Admission ticket. These tickets retail for around $400 - $500 but the Miami Grand Prix had a $305 offer for tickets 2 months before the race. As a grandstand ticketholder, we had access to all of the General Admission areas and we all had the same access to amenities around the track. The viewing points of the track were plentiful and Campus Pass ticketholders had access to Heineken viewing decks around the track, with an elevated viewpoint and speakers. Another very popular, but not well advertised, viewpoint for campus pass ticketholders is the inside the stadium itself. Not only could you sit inside the MUCH cooler stadium and watch sessions on the massive TVs (while overlooking the Paddock), you could watch the race happen below you from any of the stadium walkways. That being said, the access you have with these GA tickets is MUCH higher than other US races (Las Vegas especially), BUT as compared to COTA (US Grand Prix) the views are worse in terms of elevation.
If you want to purchase tickets ahead of time for the Miami Grand Prix check out P1 Travel once tickets are on sale.
Want to check out the views from a number of seating options? Check out our Miami Grand Prix Seating Guide.
There are a number of options available from 'Ubering' to rideshare lots, to renting a car and paying for parking, but I’m going to share with you the BEST way to get to and from the Hard Rock each day.
I stayed in Aventura, which is a neighborhood East of the track. What I had heard many times is that getting to and from the track as well as Miami itself (South Beach and Downtown, where many people stay) is very expensive - from renting a car to paying for parking. Miami has an alternative that is not well publicized.
Brightline operates a number of shuttle lines FOR FREE to and from the circuit. Not only do these shuttles run to some of the parking lots (Lot 95, South to Miami), but they run to Hollywood, Florida (North Line), and to Aventura Brightline Station (East Line). Even if you are not staying close to one of the shuttle pick-up/ drop-offs, ridesharing to and from the free shuttle location to get to the circuit is the best way to get to and from the track for a low price.
Each day, I took the East Shuttle to and from the Aventura Brightline Station. On average the trip took 45 minutes each way when accounting traffic. So, I left my Airbnb about 90 minutes before the start of the first session. On Friday, I waited 10 minutes to board the shuttle and was at the circuit by 11:30AM. From there, it is a 10 minute walk to Gate 3 (which was the gate I entered each day). Similarly, leaving Friday, I walked for 10 minutes to the SAME shuttle location and did not wait to board the shuttle. The ride was stuck in general Miami traffic and I arrived home about an hour later. The same schedule and wait time was true for Saturday as well.
** Some of the shuttles even had power outlets, and all shuttles were air conditioned **
If you want to learn more about the other Miami GP transportation options check out our article.
The Miami Grand Prix is 1. HOT 2. SUNNY and 3. Includes a LOT of walking. Here are the things that I would pack including what to take them in:
If you want to check out what I brought to the Miami Grand Prix - here is a video that I made on Friday.
As mentioned above, we arrived at the track at 11:45 AM for the 12:30 PM Free Practice 1 session. On Friday our seats were in the center section (MG-5) of the Marina Grandstand. The walk from the entrance of the circuit (Gate 3) to our grandstand (far left of the circuit) took about 15 minutes.
Friday at any Grand Prix will be the least busy day at the circuit. The first thing that we did upon arrival was purchase the special Ferrari Blue hat from one of the MANY circuit shops around the track. I later learned that these hats sold out by the late afternoon on Friday and most shops did not restock for the following days. The same was true for the special edition Miami GP Checo Hats. So BUY YOUR MERCH IMMEDIATELY.
Additionally, the official Fan Zone is to the left of the main entrance gates. This zone included racing simulators, special show cars, podium photo opportunities, and special activations. There were no lines for any of these activities Friday morning. If you want to participate, do it then.
This year the Miami Grand Prix hosted the F1 Academy US race! That being said, on Friday, specifically, the F1 Academy paddock was open to the public! You could enter the paddock, meet some of the incredible drivers, or even bump shoulders with celebrities from Charlotte Tilbury to Kendall Jenner!
If you have a general admission aka Campus Passes, the Heineken viewing decks were much less crowded on Friday. Use Friday to scout out your preferred viewing location, especially if you want to take advantage of the decks. When we passed the deck at turn 9, there were only about 20 people present 10 minutes before Free Practice 1.
Food and drink around the circuit was plentiful. Although many of the VIP club and suite options ‘went viral’ for their exorbitant prices, in my opinion, the options on the rest of the circuit were the best I’ve seen at ANY race. From coffee, to standard stadium food, to traditional Miami Cuban Food, sushi, and more - the concessions were EVERYWHERE. Most concessions had very short lines all day and were standard event prices ($20 for a meal). However, the portion sizing was MUCH larger than other races and events I’ve attended.
On Friday, we walked to the Turn 18 Fan Zone area for lunch and had some of the best empanadas I’ve ever eaten. This Fan Zone area also had at least 20 food and beverage options.
Additionally, unlike the other EXTREMELY warm race (US Grand Prix at COTA), the water refill stations were not giant tanks that warmed throughout the day. Water refilling stations had cold and filtered water and were placed near every grandstand and fan zone.
Next to each water refill station was a large restroom area, as well. These restrooms were VERY clean and separated by gender. Although they were port-a-potties, this was one of the best restroom set-ups I've seen at a Grand Prix.
One thing that surprised me the most about attending the Miami Grand Prix was the amount of shade offered by the Grandstands. In the Marina Grandstand, Rows M - CC (top row) had complete shade cover and a nice breeze. As the day progressed, the entire grandstand was shaded and cool. **This is not true of all of the grandstands, but is a HUGE positive of sitting in the Marina because Miami is SO HOT.**
If you are unfamiliar with the track, the Marina Grandstand has a great view of Turns 6, 7, and 8. While this grandstand was in the shade and easily accessible, there was not much action at this turn this year. This is where Charles Leclerc crashed in 2023. If you want to see more details about the Marina Grandstand check out our seating article.
As mentioned above, we arrived to the track at around 11:30 AM for the 12:00 PM F1 Sprint race. I, again, entered through Gate 3 as it was closest to the free shuttle drop-off. On Saturday, I was at the North Beach Grandstands, so the walk was about 15 minutes from the entrance (far right of the circuit).
The Beach Grandstands are on the opposite side of the track from Marina, so we had a completely different experience on Saturday. As you walk to the grandstands you will pass multiple drink brand ‘houses’ and seating areas with amazing performances from stilt walkers to small ‘play-like’ performances. There are also more ‘gourmet’ food options here including sushi and hibachi.
The North Beach Grandstands themselves are directly next to another food and fan zone area. Everything you need at this section of the Miami Grand Prix is right next to the grandstand… and it is much more luxurious than the fan zone and food areas on the west side of the track near Turn 18 and Marina.
The tent with most of the food options is pretty well air conditioned and features LARGE viewing screens and LOUD audio of the sessions. There were about 10 different food options with restrooms, water refill stations, merch, and Red Bull activations just outside. But my FAVORITE part…? The chairs were pink suede padded chairs (and couches) - it felt like a luxury offering. I paid $15 for an iced latte and croquetta’s in the morning and $20 for GIANT loaded nachos in the afternoon.
I had a dramatically different experience in the North Beach Grandstand than at the Marina Grandstand on Friday… for both positive and negative reasons. The North Beach Grandstand has an amazing view of turns 11, 12, 13, and 14, and is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. We were sitting in section NB-5 with a direct view into the Beach Club and of turns 11 and 12.
This location was ACTION PACKED. From dramatic overtakes in the Sprint race to cars going off the track during the F1 Academy session AND F1 Sprint, if you want to see action in Miami the North Beach grandstand is the place to be. Almost every overtake during the F1 Sprint happened directly in front of us.
There is, however, dramatically less shade in the North Beach Grandstands than the Marina Grandstands. Only rows O - EE (top row) had shade and even as the sun set, there was not full shade until around 5:00PM. Naturally, we were at row B this day, so we sat directly in the sun all day. It was worth it, though for how much action we saw.
Additionally, the performances on the track occurred in the Beach Club. On Saturday, that was Ed Sheeran - who we were lucky enough to see from just across the way in our grandstand. North Beach is the only grandstand with a direct view of these performances.
Our team did not attend the race on Sunday, and instead visited watch parties around the city of Miami (Check out our Miami GP Pop-ups Fan Zones, and Off Track Activities Article)! However, here are our tips and tricks from FanAmp Community Members.
If you want to hear more about things to do in Miami Off the Track including where to watch the race without tickets, check out that article. For tickets visit P1 Travel and to figure out where to sit, check out our Miami Grand Prix Seating Guide.
Already attending the Miami Grand Prix? Join FanAmp to chat with other race-goers!