Formula 1 made an exhilarating return in Miami, with the Sprint weekend delivering a dramatic three days of entertainment enjoyed around the world. The drivers certainly put on a show for the myriad of sporting megastars who were trackside at the Miami International Autodrome.
From legendary footballers and tennis icons to Olympic champions and American sports teams, the paddock was brimming with amazing athletes – here’s a rundown of the sporting celebrities at this year’s Miami Grand Prix.
Lionel Messi
One of football’s all-time greats, with no less than seven Ballon d’Or titles and a World Cup winner’s medal to his name, it’s no wonder Lionel Messi arrived at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday to a hero’s welcome.
The Inter Miami player also brought his family along to the Mercedes garage on Sunday – his children certainly made the most of the experience, leaving with plenty of team merch and autographs from Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Not only did Messi spend quality time with the Mercedes pair, but he even got to sit in Antonelli’s car, which clearly proved to be something of a good omen, as the Italian went on to win his third race on the bounce!
However, it was Messi’s visit to the Alpine garage that provided one of the most heartwarming moments of the whole weekend.
The entire team were starstruck – but none more so than Franco Colapinto, for whom meeting his compatriot and childhood hero clearly meant everything to him. Whatever was said between the pair ahead of the race seemed to do the trick, as Colapinto went on to secure a career-best seventh-place finish in the Grand Prix, finishing off a fantastic weekend for him.
Colapinto then took straight to Instagram afterwards and described the encounter as a dream come true and one of the most special experiences of his life. Can’t knock that!
Rafael Nadal
One of the greatest ever men’s tennis players, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal headed to Miami for what turned out to be a packed weekend in the paddock for the Spaniard. He kicked things off at the Ferrari garage before joining Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for a brand event.
On Sunday, Nadal made a point of visiting his Spanish compatriots – Carlos Sainz gave him and fellow Spanish sporting hero Jon Rahm a masterclass in F1 steering wheel technology, before Nadal swung by Aston Martin to catch up with Fernando Alonso.
But the highlight of the weekend came at the end of the Grand Prix, as Nadal was handed the honour of waving the chequered flag as race winner Antonelli crossed the line.
Unlike some flag wavers who might have struggled with the physical demands of keeping it aloft, something tells us a man with Nadal’s forearm strength didn’t have that problem!
Serena Williams
With 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name and a career that undoubtedly redefined women’s tennis, Serena Williams is one of the most decorated athletes in any sport – and as a long-time F1 fan, a Miami paddock visit was inevitable!
As ever, Williams arrived in style, sporting Ferrari’s fashion label as she headed straight for the Scuderia garage for the day.
No doubt the highlight of her visit was reuniting with her close friend Hamilton. Williams later reflected on Instagram with a heartwarming image about how the pair first connected as two Black athletes dominating their respective sports in England – Wimbledon and Silverstone – at the same time. Over a decade on, it seems their bond is as strong as ever.
Mikaela Shiffrin
The most decorated alpine skier in history, Mikaela Shiffrin spent the entire Miami weekend soaking up every moment of the bumper Sprint action. During the weekend, she was gifted a leather biker jacket by F1 partners Barilla – the perfect attire for a weekend of motorsport.
She also crossed paths with Antonelli, who got to try on her 2026 Winter Olympic gold medal – perhaps another good omen for the Italian? When he went on to secure the win, she was amongst the first to congratulate him – posting her excitement on Instagram and hailing it as quite the race.
John Rahm and Ian Poulter
Known for his five Ryder Cup-winning victories with Europe and his love of motorsport, Ian Poulter was pretty busy in Miami this race week. Poulter was at the launch of McLaren’s new golf line alongside fellow Team McLaren athletes Justin Rose and Michelle Wie West. Of course, he then stuck around to take in the race weekend and soak up the action, as well as celebrate a double McLaren podium.
Fresh off his LIV golf win in Mexico City, Jon Rahm made the most of his weekend away from the fairways, joining compatriot Nadal on a tour of the Miami paddock and spending time with the Spanish contingent on the grid. Spanish sport was thriving in Miami!
Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Olympic and World champion Noah Lyles is fast becoming a fixture at the American races, and who can blame him? The man loves speed! He brought his trademark energy to the grid ahead of the Sprint race start, a format he knows a thing or two about himself…
Meanwhile, for Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the mum-to-be made her Grand Prix debut in Miami as a guest of TAG Heuer – another speed lover in their element!
Inter Miami
It wasn’t just Messi making an appearance in Miami – he was joined by plenty of his Inter Miami team mates in the paddock all weekend long. Former Barcelona and Liverpool forward Luis Suarez gave out some tips and tricks to Leclerc, before enjoying the race in the Audi garage and on the grid.
Audi also had some footballing fun in the stadium paddock, with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto enjoying some games with the rest of the squad – Bortoleto showed off some of his Brazilian flair, leaving plenty of the Miami team pretty impressed.
The Miami Dolphins
Having used their stadium as the paddock for the week, it was only right for the Miami Dolphins team to get involved with some of the fun.
The NFL stars hung out with teams including Mercedes, McLaren, and Cadillac on Thursday, getting a glimpse into the motorsport world after driving some go-karts on the Hard Rock Stadium turf. Then, the players put the drivers through their paces with some American football drills – we’ll leave you to judge which drivers were naturals!
The Miami Heat
We had yet another Miami sports team on the grid this weekend – several members of the Miami Heat were in attendance for their home race, while also enjoying a special hot lap experience with Oscar Piastri.
Basketball players Simone Fontecchio and Jaime Jaquez Jr were whisked around the track by the Australian, and as always, you could see enjoyment mixed with fear on their faces! Elsewhere, three-time All-Star Miami centre Bam Adebayo was spotted drinking in the race day atmosphere in the paddock.
Many more
There were athletes aplenty all week long in Miami, including the Argentine Grand Slam winner Juan Martin Del Potro, two-time Olympic Champion gymnast Sunisa Lee, four-time gold medal-winning swimmer Leon Marchand, five-time Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, DJ and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal, former fastest man Marcell Jacobs, and former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng.
How many did you spot over the weekend?
