The Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix took the city by storm last weekend, as fans braved heavy rain to watch their favorite drivers race around the Miami International Autodrome circuit at the Hard Rock Stadium complex, May 2-4. A sell-out crowd of close to 275,500 fans attended the three-day event that included practice and qualifying sessions leading into Saturday’s Sprint race and Sunday’s main race, as well as the second race of the all-female F1 Academy racing series, which was ultimately postponed due to a persistent downpour.
Locals and event professionals who have been on the ground since the event’s inception in 2022 told us that F1 continues to get bigger and bigger each year in Miami. And it’s showing no signs of stopping, as Formula 1 announced that the Miami Grand Prix will remain on the calendar through 2041, following a 10-year extension to its existing agreement with promoter South Florida Motorsports. The Miami Grand Prix is now the longest contracted event on the F1 calendar.
Evolving beyond year one, when it was all palm tree designs and neon color palettes, brands and sponsors are finding their groove after experimenting with experiences, menus and venues to develop activations that appeal to new and longtime race fans from around the world, while staying true to the South Florida setting and Miami’s beachy but luxurious culture and lifestyle. Below, we loop around 12 brand experiences that drew fans in at the 2025 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
ALO
For Alo’s second year activating at the Miami Grand Prix, its Pit Stop pop-up inside the Paddock Club offered VIP guests a wellness escape amid the high-octane energy on the track, including CRYO experiences, Therabody recovery and guided meditation. The brand also partnered with NFL star Joe Burrow, who sported four custom Alo looks in Miami. In-store events and a special edition of the Alo Runners Club rounded out the weekend.
Photo: Courtesy of Alo
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Premiering on May 28, “F1: The Academy” is a new Netflix docuseries that follows the 2024 season of the female-only, Formula 4-level single-seater racing championship launched by Formula 1 to develop and prepare female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition. Official Partner of F1 Academy, American Express, hosted a preview event for the series, in partnership with Netflix and producer Hello Sunshine at The Fillmore Miami Beach.
Attendees watched an early screening of the first episode of “F1: The Academy” and listened in on a Q&A with executives from F1 Academy, Hello Sunshine and American Express. They also heard remarks from Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon and enjoyed a live musical performance from Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko.
As part of Amex’s F1 Academy partnership, the brand will continue to feature a local, woman-owned small business logo on driver Nicole Havrda’s car for every race during the 2025 season. In Miami, Havrda’s livery featured the logo of local Azucar Ice Cream shop.
Photo credit: Jenna Fernandez for American Express
DRIVEN ARTISTS RACING TEAM
Just in time for race week, the Miami Design District welcomed a collaboration at the intersection of motorsports and contemporary art. Driven Artists Racing Team (DART)—a mission-driven, female-led motorsports team—debuted with a McLaren Artura GT4 race car wrapped in original artwork by artist Mickalene Thomas. She also designed bespoke driving suits and hand-painted helmets for team co-founders Aurora Straus and Zoë Barry, who is making her professional racing debut this season. The DART car was on display at The Moore and then Paradise Plaza.
Photo credit: Kelsey H Campbell Photography
GLENFIDDICH
Glenfiddich made a bold statement trackside with a green double-decker hospitality footprint designed to honor its new partnership with the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team. The upper deck’s VIP viewing lounge served a curated menu of elevated Glenfiddich cocktails. Double Chicken Please, an award-winning bar team and creative studio, was on hand to bring their signature mixology craft and creativity to the Glenfiddich space. (Agency: Momentum Worldwide)
Photos: Courtesy of Glenfiddich
HENDRICK’S GIN
Hendrick’s Gin whimsical three-story bar returned to the Miami International Autodrome to treat race fans to a menu of quirky cocktails. Bartenders and in-character entertainers took attendees on a journey of taste and discovery. (Agency: Momentum Worldwide)
Photo: Courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin
JACK DANIEL’S TENNESSEE WHISKEY
For a third consecutive year, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey teamed up with McLaren Formula 1 Team and Universal Music Group for Jack’s Garage, an immersive music platform experience at The Carter Project in Miami’s Wynwood district. Attendees took photos with a custom Jack Daniels’-branded McLaren car outside and enjoyed live performances from Puerto Rican singer and rapper Brray and singer-songwriter Oriana, while sipping on race-themed cocktails. Local chef Louie Estrada provided Cuban-inspired bites.
Photos: Courtesy of Universal Music Group
LEGO
The 20 F1 drivers usually participate in a Drivers’ Parade ahead of the grand prix, in which they ride on the bed of a truck around the track and wave to fans in the stands. LEGO put a special spin on the pre-race event by providing the drivers with their own fully drivable, team-custom LEGO big build cars. Each team had its own two-seater car decorated in team colors and livery, and the drivers completed a lap of the 3.3-mile track. Ferrari driver and seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton told the media: “That was the most fun Drivers’ Parade we have ever had.”
Designed to celebrate the multiyear partnership between F1 and the LEGO Group, the vehicles are based on the LEGO F1 Speed Champions range and were created by a team of 26 designers, engineers and LEGO builders over 22,000 hours in the LEGO Group’s Kladno factory in the Czech Republic. Each big build is made of nearly 400,000 LEGO bricks to almost match the scale of a real F1 car and includes everything from sponsor logos to authentic Pirelli tires. Reaching speeds of just over 12 mph, the LEGO replicas don’t move nearly as fast, but they certainly wowed fans.
All 10 of the F1 LEGO big builds will be embarking on a global tour with appearances at future races. LEGO also set up a Pit Stop shop at the stadium where attendees could purchase builds from the F1 collection.
Photo credit: Hector Vivas and Glenn Dunbar/Getty Images for LEGO Group
LIQUID I.V.
Returning as the Miami Grand Prix’s Functional Hydration Partner for the second year, Liquid I.V. set up its Race House as a hydration stop and hospitality venue for special guests and VIPs, including Williams Racing driver Alex Albon, former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner and GB3 driver Bianca Bustamante. The brand introduced a limited-edition “Mystery Flavor,” later revealed to be F1 Hydration Multiplier Mango, giving attendees a first taste at the Race House and Oasis throughout the weekend. In front of the activation space, fans could view and take photos with the Liquid I.V. F1 car, as well as sample the new flavor, which they could try to guess to win branded prizes.
Photos: Courtesy of Liquid I.V.
LOUIS VUITTON
Back in January, LVMH signed a 10-year agreement to join F1 as a Global Partner, bringing the Louis Vuitton brand into the sport as an Official Partner. For each circuit of the 2025 season, Louis Vuitton is awarding a Trophy Trunk, emblazoned with its iconic “LV” pattern, to the race winner, which went to McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at the Miami Grand Prix.
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
NEFT VODKA
NEFT Vodka, official partner of the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula 1 Team, took part in the pre-race reveal event for the team’s all-pink Miami Grand Prix livery with on-menu cocktail collaborations and retail takeovers at Total Wine & More and Grove Liquors stores across Miami. The brand also curated a series of events and VIP experiences at nightlife venues.
Photo credit: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
RELEVANT+ x TOTAL WIRELESS
Relevant+, an independent culture media group for U.S. Hispanic audiences, partnered with Total Wireless to launch Beats Per Mile (BPM), a dj-driven electronic music experience celebrating Latin sound on April 30. BPM brought together cultural tastemakers, artists and music insiders at Miami’s Caracas Bakery to enjoy dj sets from Gia Fu, DJ Le Spam, Nickodemus and KillaBeatMaker. The performance lineup was curated by Tigre Sounds and designed as a sensorial journey that built up in tempo, mirroring the momentum of a race in motion. The brands treated the first 200 attendees at check-in to a race flag stir stick and a cappuccino.
Photos: Courtesy of Relevant+
TAG HEUER
To kick off the 2025 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix weekend, TAG Heuer, F1’s Official Timekeeper, popped up at Aventura Mall with an activation anchored by the championship-winning Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 car. Also on display were replicas of the car’s steering wheel, and Max Verstappen’s 2024 racing suit, helmet and gloves. Now through May 11, fans and shoppers can explore TAG Heuer’s racing heritage and its latest timepieces. Brand ambassador and F1 Academy driver Aiva Anagnostiadis made an appearance at the pop-up during race week. (Agency: INCA Productions)
Photos: Courtesy of TAG Heuer
Featured photo credit: Glenn Dunbar/Getty Images for LEGO Group
