Almost 10 years ago, Formula 1 bet its future on the American dream.
After decades of Bernie Ecclestone’s leadership, and a focus on tradition and heritage, Liberty Media paid $8 billion to rip up the script and do things their own way.
Attention turned from the Middle East to North America, from tight media control to Netflix cameras, from a private members’ club to an influencer’s playground.
Fast forward to last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, and that gamble looks to be paying off in a big way.
Conservative estimations now value the sport at upwards of $20bn, the paddock is a who’s who of A-listers and a new TV deal with Apple in the US has opened up huge new possibilities.
The Daily Mail was on site at Hard Rock Stadium to experience how the sport has changed, and what it’s really like to experience a race weekend in this glitzy new era of Formula 1…
Kimi Antonelli celebrates winning the 2026 Miami Grand Prix alongside Oscar Piastri (R)
Lionel Messi joins driver Franco Colapinto for a photo during his surprise visit on Sunday
Deep inside the paddock, sitting in front of the world’s media for his post-qualifying press conference, pole sitter Kimi Antonelli is momentarily distracted from the reporter’s question.
On a TV screen nearby, a DJ is pumping out tunes to a raucous crowd of race fans situated between turns 12 and 13, at the Hard Rock-sponsored ‘Beach Club’ alongside the track.
‘He looked like Shaquille O’Neal for a second’, the 18-year-old Mercedes phenom says of the man at the decks. ‘No, it’s not,’ Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc clarifies.
Dear reader, it was Shaquille O’Neal. Or, more accurately, it was ‘DJ Diesel’, the NBA legend’s alter-ego. Because of course it was… this is Miami on race week.
No longer is Formula 1 a Sunday sport. These Grands Prix – and the US-based ones in particular – are week-long festivals, whole cities shut down for parties from Monday to Sunday as the billionaire circus rolls in.
Early in the week, the Daily Mail spoke to Alpine driver Pierre Gasly at the ‘Kickoff Party’ on The Roof at The Moore, and every night different activations lit up different parts of the city.
Shaquille O’Neal bizarrely performed a DJ set alongside the track after Saturday’s qualifying
Next year, the iconic ‘Paddock Club’ at the Miami Grand Prix will be extended round Turn 1
Rafael Nadal (right) and golfer Jon Rahm (left) pose for a photo with driver Fernando Alonso
To name just a few: Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso brought Aventura Mall to a standstill on Thursday, while Alix Earle and Braxton Berrios reunited at Sports Illustrated’s star-studded party at the Four Seasons hotel, alongside the likes of Kevin Hart, Serena Williams and Hailey Bieber.
At Carbone Beach, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and John Summit headlined a three-night lineup – with Carlos Sainz in attendance after the race – and super-club E11even featured late-night performances by Nelly and Diplo.
For the drivers themselves, it would be no surprise to hear complaints about the grueling media commitments on a week like this, each of them ferried from event to event to smile for photos and sign autographs.
But while many will long for the likes of Spa and Austria – the calendar’s more race-focused weekends – Miami is still a fascination for some, with multiple drivers recently splashing the cash on glitzy private residences on the water.
To focus on the celebrity-heavy parties is to take credit away from the fans, though, who have truly embraced the sport in its new, more accessible era.
Attending races is an expensive hobby, and lines at the merch stands all weekend was a clear indication of the sport’s growing popularity. Especially when a simple T-shirt will set you back north of $100.
Raising Cane’s owner Todd Graves (C) hired a box for the likes of Joe Burrow and Joey Bosa (L)
Influencer Alix Earle was another star watching the race from the Raising Cane’s VIP suite
The track action was brilliant for the thousands of fans who watched on from the grandstands
Not even the threat of heavy thunderstorms and a short-notice rescheduling of the start time could deter the fans who packed the grandstands around Miami Gardens.
The Miami race also saw the introduction of a new Apple-led fan initiative, with those not lucky enough to be in South Florida able to experience the race at IMAX locations around the US.
For some, that meant being inside a movie theater before 9am, but early social media reviews were glowing and events were sold out long before lights out.
In Times Square, a giant advertising board even live-streamed the race to the New York City crowds who had gathered on Sunday lunchtime.
Back at the track, meanwhile, some of the more high-end clientele paid $12,000 – minimum – for a three-day VIP experience alongside the track, each offering a different vibe.
At the MSC Yacht Club – built at turns 6, 7 and 8 – fans stripped down to their swimwear for a soak in the pool while the action played out on track behind them.
Back at turns 1 and 2, the Casa Tua Trackside Club provided an intimate lounge with live music and a secret sushi bar. This is Formula 1, but not as Bernie knew it.
Antonelli celebrates after stepping out of his car at the end of the race around Hard Rock
Jessica Alba (L) and Earle (R) attended a host of parties across a wild race week in Florida
It was in that hospitality area that the Daily Mail spotted NFL head coach Mike Tomlin blending in with the crowds and enjoying the race action, as he prepares to begin his new ‘Sunday Night Football’ analyst role with NBC in the fall.
Next year, Casa Tua will be replaced by a huge new 115,000 square foot permanent extension to the iconic Paddock Club, the news announced over the race weekend.
That upgrade will enable more than 9,000 guests to enjoy the most premium hospitality the sport has to offer, and it’ll be ready in time for next season.
It was in Paddock Club that the likes of Serena Williams, Tom Brady and Lionel Messi watched the race over the weekend – the latter shutting down the area with his presence as even the drivers fawned for a photo with soccer’s GOAT.
Messi’s attendance perhaps sums up the incredible boom in popularity that Formula 1 is experiencing.
Hours earlier, he had played in a remarkable 4-3 defeat for Inter Miami in the team’s brand new stadium just down the road… but you wouldn’t have known the game was on given the presence of Formula 1.
Terry Crews, Colin Farrell and Patrick Dempsey enjoyed the festivities ahead of the race
Donald Trump was up the road watching the PGA Tour, but it was anonymous in comparison
Outside Hard Rock Stadium, thousands of fans enjoyed the wild post-race podium celebrations
On Sunday, President Trump attended a PGA Tour event at his own Doral course, the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood falling short of eventual winner Cameron Young.
That, too, was anonymous in comparison to the monster production of Formula 1. To be in Miami was to be a part of the race weekend, whether you liked it or not.
It is rare for Trump to play a secondary role in anything these days, and it was odd for the Commander-in-Chief to be in town, but for nobody to know.
Perhaps he’ll be telling his advisors to get him a spot in Paddock Club for 2027.
