Ollie from the UK tells us all about his experience attending the 2026 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome.
After my wife and I attended our first race in 2023, we’ve well and truly caught the bug and now try to attend a race every year. After Japan in 2025 (read Ollie’s report here), thoughts turned to our next visit. Although COTA appealed, the other US races weren’t really on the radar, until one of my F1-loving friends moved out to Miami in mid-2025.
Travel and Accommodation
We made the decision to go to the race in October 2025, booking our flights and accommodation at this time. Coming from the UK we had multiple daily flights to Miami to choose from, and chose to fly out on Wednesday. Although the flight wasn’t obviously full of F1 fans, we did see Claire Williams board the plane so we were in good company!
We chose to base ourselves in Hollywood for race weekend. Hard Rock Stadium is a fair distance out of the more central areas of Miami, and we wanted to minimise travel times as much as possible. We were really pleased with the decision, there were plenty of bars and restaurants and we found a decent enough hotel for around £100 per night.
We weighed up the different options to get to the circuit, but we decided to drive. Our friend living in Miami booked us a parking space via an app for about $40 per day. It was at a local’s house and only a five-minute walk from the gates. Traffic was quite heavy nearer the circuit, but the journey from Hollywood was easy enough and took about 25-30 minutes in the morning and a little longer in the afternoon/evening.
Tickets
We weren’t in as much of a hurry to book race tickets, and we eventually did so about three months before the event. Based on the excellent travel guides and reports on this website, my initial thought was to go for the South Beach grandstand for all three days to get the most bang for our buck.
The Grandstand Pass was also appealing to get different vantage points each day, but by the time we looked there was only one shaded package available (Turn 18 on Friday, Turn 1 on Saturday and Marina on Sunday for $1015). This was tempting, but it wasn’t obvious that seat selection was possible, at least not before checkout, so we gave it a miss.
As we liked the idea of seeing the action from multiple stands, we built our own package. Turn 1 grandstand for Saturday, including he Sprint race and qualifying, was decent value at $345 per ticket. For the other days, it was a toss-up between the Marina and South Beach – the latter felt better for the race due to it being a traditional overtaking spot, but we were reluctant to do bench seating. In the end we went with the Marina Grandstand for both Friday and Sunday, with the potential for track invasion a consideration for the Sunday. The total cost was $975 each for the seats we picked.
Having looked at shaded packages, we ended up going unshaded, with front row seats on Friday in the Marina and on Saturday at Turn 1. I wouldn’t recommend being so far forward in the Marina grandstand due to the catch fencing and distance from the track (a few rows higher would have given us views above the fence), but after the chaotic starts early in the 2026 season, we felt Turn 1 would be a good choice – and it was.
It was hot, with record temperatures for the time of year on Saturday. We managed, although the extended 90-minute FP1 session on Friday tested our limits, and we were quick to find some shade when it finished.
The Event
I’d only been to two traditional races before (Monza & Suzuka), so was intrigued to see how the Miami experience would compare. It was totally different, but off-track especially was fantastic.
The gates only opened 30 minutes before FP1 on Friday, and we were a bit apprehensive when we approached the venue near Gate 8 to see an enormous queue snaking around the block. However, only a couple of minutes past the end of this queue was another gate, with very little wait and we were through in no time. A lot of people seemed unaware of the bag rules and were turned back to put their belongings in the lockers, so be mindful of that. The official Miami GP app had all the info, as well as a decent interactive map.
Rather than there being a single fan zone, there were multiple different areas, each theme after different parts of Miami. It did mean there was no fan stage for driver appearances, which may or may not put you off. However, the atmosphere was incredible, and there was so much to do in between on-track events – bars, music, air-conditioned buses to sit on and cool down…you name it. You can also access the stadium to spy on the paddock, use a proper toilet or just sit in the shade. I’d definitely recommend checking out all campus zones over the course of the weekend to get the full experience.
This being a sporting event in the USA, I was expecting to be ripped off at every turn, but while it was expensive, not everything was set up to gouge you of every penny. A 16oz (473ml) can of Heineken set you back $13, but cocktails were similarly priced and cans of fizzy drink were $5. Water refill stations were plentiful, but the hot weather meant most of them were dispensing water that felt like it had just been boiled, so $6 for an ice cold bottle ended up quite appealing. Food ranged from around $10 for a large pizza slice up to $25 for burgers and giant turkey legs. Queues got pretty long just before the race on Sunday, but otherwise there were so many places that you never had to wait long.
American Express cardholders got some perks – the usual free radios (although with English commentary broadcast over the PA we didn’t see the point), as well as free sunscreen and ice cream near the Start/Finish grandstand and a cooling-off zone in the West Campus. Merchandise was available throughout all zones at the usual high trackside prices, plus there was an ‘outlet’ selling previous years’ gear at a slight discount.
The nature of the event does seem to bring a different kind of fan than regular race-goers may be used to. On race day, the four seats next to us were empty for the start, occupied for about 20 minutes after the safety car then empty again. Similarly on Saturday, a lot of people were there for the sprint but not quali, but the heat may have been a factor. Although this felt strange to us, as we wanted to see all the action we could, it didn’t have any affect on our enjoyment and we were treated to a good race.
We would have liked to get on the track after the race, but with storms anticipated, we just left immediately after the last cars came past to make it back to the car before the heavens opened. We did pick a decent location for track access as there was a queue of people waiting at the gate by Turns 7 and 8 right next to our stand, but it takes a long time for the track to clear given the unusual podium setup so presumably they were there a while.
Summary
Going into this trip, there were a fair few unknowns for us, but what an experience. Off-track was generally superb, and to be honest next time I would consider a Campus Pass (general admission) due to this, given some of the freely available viewing spots. The concessions are a bit pricey, but a big breakfast before you get there reduces the food spend and if you can stomach warm water all day then you can really economise! Equally, if budget isn’t an issue, you’re spoilt for choice and some of the hospitality enclosures looked very inviting.
There seemed to be a significant proportion of the crowd that were there to be seen, but that doesn’t stop anyone who wants to from having a great weekend of motorsport (especially if F2 returns on a more regular basis). Given all the empty seats across all sessions, some sort of ‘Free Friday’ or the like would be great if implemented in the future to give those that want to see action the chance to experience different vantage points. Even without any changes, I’m already considering a return visit in the not-too-distant future. Might give COTA a whirl first though…
