Welcome to Miami

Sprinting in the Sunshine StateSprinting in the Sunshine State

2026 season

Sweeping around the imposing Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Grand Prix is a modern showpiece event on the F1 calendar. It is loud, it is crowded, it is impossible to move, and the garages offer the only sanctuary of calm to be found amid the whirl of music, fashion, art and food.

The challenging, 19-turn, purpose-built temporary circuit provides the stage for a thrilling Sprint weekend in the 305.

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Miami is an absolute vibe. It's a great circuit that's got a bit of everything.

Jessica Hawkins – Driver Ambassador & Head of F1 ACADEMY

Circuit length
5.412km
Number of corners
19
Race distance
308.326km

NEED TO KNOW: MIAMI GP

Miami GP race page - the circuit carousel

Mastering Miami International Autodrome

The magic of racing in Miami

Ultimate Miami Grand Prix facts

The essential Miami travel guide with Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Mastering Miami International Autodrome

The Miami International Autodrome isn't a street circuit and it isn't a permanent road course; instead it occupies a nebulous middle ground, being a purpose-built circuit, incorporating elements of a street grid, and designed to be rapidly constructed and disassembled. The walls are close, the grip is… variable and the challenge is extreme.

The 19-turn circuit tests cars at both ends of the speed range – deliberately so to ensure teams have tricky decisions to make. Running low-downforce can prove advantageous with the kilometre-plus full-throttle sections between T8-T11 and T16-T17, but the high-speed section that really catches the eye comes in the first sector, with a sequence of sweepers that exists on the boundary between being grip- and power-limited, really pushing F1 cars to their limit.

It certainly isn't all high-speed though, with the bigger gains and losses in laptime to be found in the slower corners – particularly the stadium section between T11-T16 where the track negotiates its way around and below the Turnpike interchange. Unusual for a low-speed section of track, it's been the sight of several red flags in previous years, with drivers losing control over the kerbs and discovering there really isn't any margin for error.

If this slow section is all about laptime, then the hairpin at the end of the backstraight, and the tight first corner are all about attack and defence. Miami International Autodrome features three DRS zones, the first, on the sinuous 'straight' into T11 is a one-shot deal, but the second and third, into the T17 hairpin, and then along the start-finish straight are more of a combination: similar to Jeddah last time out, anyone who doesn't get the move done – or decides to hold fire – into T17 gets another shot into T1. It makes for quite a bit of action, and no small amount of wheel-banging.

The magic of racing in Miami

The Miami Grand Prix offers a fine-tuned spectator-friendly experience, really not like anywhere else. It makes it a very busy week for the teams, who split their efforts between events downtown or out at South Beach, and the action at the track. The circuit is built in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.

It isn't the first time F1 has raced on a US parking lot – but this is light-years away from the Caesars Palace Grand Prix of the early 1980s, and is described by its architects as a 'temporary permanent race course' – the idea being the track can be rapidly assembled and disassembled around the grand prix, allowing best use of the multi-purpose site, which also hosts NFL games, rock concerts and the Miami Open tennis tournament.

It means F1 gets access to excellent facilities. The teams' hospitality units are now housed within the stadium, and the Grand Prix sells tickets for the stadium seats, allowing spectators to people-watch, and even stay within the confines to watch the track action on the giant screens.

There are many better views, however. The circuit is divided into eight themed spectator zones, with 10 bridges – more than any other circuit – connecting the various zones, and all featuring activations and facilities. The circuit announced an intense foodie programme in 2025, featuring 65 local and international restaurants, with more than a few Michelin-starred chefs at work.

The eye-catching super yacht 'marina', is to be found at the long, multi-apex Turn Eight, while the Stadium Section – not to be confused with the actual stadium – at the other end of the circuit features The Beach Club, complete with swimming pools and cabanas. That's also where the stage is to be found, with musical guests over the weekend including Pitbull, Kygo, Tiësto, Kaskade, Sofi Tukker and Cedric Gervais.

There was also an auction in 2025, with a display of 38 cars on the Promenade. Star of the show is a championship-winning Brawn 001 from 2009, but for those with a little less room in the garage – and the wallet – there's an array of race-worn helmets, overalls and assorted F1 paraphernalia.

Where's the best place to watch? It really does depend what you want to see. The party will be down at the beach; F1 cars doing their thing will look spectacular from the Promenade; glamorous selfies will be at the Miami International Autodrome marina and the best overtaking spots can be seen from the West and North Campuses. What we would suggest is choosing a covered grandstand. With temperatures expected to hit 30°C, shade is going to be helpful. If you don't have it, remember to stay well hydrated.

Ultimate Miami Grand Prix facts

1 | Lance started his single-seater career in Florida, contesting the 2014 Florida Winter Series, at Sebring, Palm Beach and Homestead, alongside fellow future F1 drivers Nicholas Latifi and Max Verstappen and future Le Mans winner Antonio Fuoco.

2 | Miami International Autodrome is the second venue in Florida to host a round of the Formula One World Championship, after Sebring hosted the inaugural United States Grand Prix in 1959.

3 | In total, 12 venues in the USA have held F1 races, more than any other country. After Sebring, the United States Grand Prix moved to Riverside in California for 1960, then Watkins Glen (1961-1980), Phoenix (1989-1991), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2000-2007) and, currently, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas (2012 –). The other races are the US Grand Prix West, held at Long Beach (1976-1983), The Caesars Palace Grand Prix (1981-1982), the Detroit Grand Prix (1982-1988), the Dallas Grand Prix (1984) and the Las Vegas Grand Prix (2023 –). The Indy 500 was also classified as a round of the World Championship between 1950-1960, despite featuring no F1 cars and few F1 drivers.

4 | Miami has proven itself as a good circuit for overtaking. There were 45 successful overtaking moves in 2022, 52 in 2023 and 32 in 2024 – all well above average.

5 | The race has yet to be won from pole position. Max Verstappen, starting P3 in 2022 is the winner starting furthest forward. He's also the winner starting furthest back, from P9 the following year – which is also the furthest back from which anyone has finished on the podium.

The essential Miami travel guide with Regent Seven Seas Cruises

What can you do in Miami? Whatever you want, really. Whenever Formula One talked about wanting to move races closer to the fans, the vibrant cityscape of Miami was very much the location they had in mind. Plan A of a downtown race around the Port didn't work out, but Plan B at the Hard Rock Stadium is succeeding beyond everyone's wildest dreams.

It does make this something of a two-centre race, with teams putting on downtown events in the mornings and evenings around visits to the track up in Miami Gardens. The Arts & Entertainments District is popular, but most of the action tends to happen in and around South and Miami Beaches, with their array of stylish art deco restaurants, hotels, exhibition spaces and, of course, sparkling blue sea, yacht-laden marinas, and miles of golden beaches.

There is more to Florida than Miami, and being a standalone race, it's given many in the paddock an opportunity to perhaps arrive a day early or leave a day late and explore. Disneyworld hasn't been top of the list, but many, many golf balls have been hit – though it's a brave golfer prepared to look for a ball at the edge of a water hazard here, given the local wildlife. There have been so many race engineers heading for Cocoa Beach and the John F. Kennedy Space Centre, to see a Saturn V rocket and Space Shuttle Atlantis, Formula One really should have laid on a coach.

This is also a state with a strong racing heritage. The circuits of Sebring, Daytona and Homestead aren't exactly local to Miami International Autodrome, but they're close enough for an excursion… while for anyone wanting to take a break from horsepower, to the south, there's the Everglades (to see the 'gators) and the Florida Keys (to see the sunsets).

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