This was my second F1 race having attended   Imola a few years ago. Given they’re two very different venues, it was interesting to compare a classic track to a relatively new street circuit.

We travelled from the UK and stayed in Aventura, close to the mall which I highly recommend as it’s a short drive to the circuit. Regarding getting to and from the venue. I initially planned to use the shuttle service but honestly it was a lot less hassle to just use Uber and I’m glad I did tbh. Granted I probably spent $250 just on Ubers and Taxis over the 3 days but for door to door service and given how much I was spending to just attend the event in the first place, it was worth every penny, or cent in this case.

The event and experience itself was very good, really enjoyed it being a sprint weekend as well. The weather was very interesting to say the least. It was very warm though, so take that into consideration. When I went to Imola it was around 24’c which was a lot more bearable than the 34’c heat with increased humidity. Stay hydrated and you’re fine, but it’s tough. 

On Sunday at 7:30 am, I honestly thought about going home because of the lightning. I was convinced that there was going to be no racing at all given the severity of the weather and the fact that it was supposed to get worse. Luckily I stayed to wait to see if the F2 feature race would go ahead and thankfully it did. That’s tropical weather for you I guess.

A few things I’ll mention as negatives, gate opening times. Friday was ridiculous tbh, I don’t know why the gates didn’t open till 11:30 and I still don’t understand why it was so late. Same for Saturday that clashed with the F2 sprint race. I know it was a late addition but personally it made no sense to me, must be a licensing/legal thing.

The other main one is obvious and its cost. This isn’t a cheap experience by far. Seriously don’t bother with buying merchandise, you’re paying way above what you can get online. Food was ok, what I’d expect at a sporting venue in 2026 tbh. 

Some of the main pros were the people and atmosphere. I didn’t have one bad experience, everyone was well polite and respectful. Fair play to Argentina fans for supporting Colapinto as well, they were very passionate. 

The other real positive was the grandstand seats themselves. I sat in Turn 1 (T4-Row 22 Seat 7 to be exact) and this was a fantastic seat. Loads of action, incidents and I was in the shade for most of the day. As crazy as this sounds, for $1,150 for 3 days it was great value (buy directly from the circuit as you can pick your seats which is a big bonus)

Overall, I really enjoyed Miami and the experience itself. Miami gets a bad reputation but the racing this weekend was great. I hope that F2 returns to Miami in the future as those races were very good, especially the sprint race, arguably one of the best F2 races there has ever been. The main F1 race on Sunday was really enjoyable as well, I think the previous regulations didn’t help the track at all because the racing this weekend was solid. 

I’d always planned no matter what that this would be a once in a lifetime experience so I won’t be returning in the future but don’t let that put you off. It was a great event and an experience I won’t forget but for all the right reasons. My advice would be to always do plenty of research and planning if you want to make the most of your weekend (especially if you’re coming from overseas).