MIAMI — There was only one place in the world to see and be seen last weekend, and it was a small-access road behind the Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida.
The paddock at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix — which Lewis Hamilton likened to the Super Bowl and Max Verstappen joked he needed protective headgear to navigate — rivaled the star-studded red carpet of the Academy Awards.
Paris Hilton and Bills quarterback Josh Allen were seen rubbing shoulders with David Beckham and DJ Khaled in the McLaren garage, while future Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady caught up with Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union over at Mercedes.
Elsewhere, Venus and Serena Williams strolled past golf legend Bubba Watson, posing for a selfie with singer-songwriter Pharrell and watchmaker Richard Mille.
If anyone still needed a sign that Formula 1 had captured the imagination of American viewers, this was it.
The epic event signaled a shift in the historically Europe-centric sport, which has struggled to capitalize on the $73 billion North American sports market.
Although initial plans for the race would have seen F1 cars driving the streets of downtown Miami, the event ran into logistical roadblocks and relocated to the Hard Rock Stadium, thanks to a reported $60 million cash injection from billionaire entrepreneur and Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross.
Organizers were so committed to creating a carnival-like atmosphere that lived up to the pre-race hype — which was driven, in part, by the popularity of Netflix’s “Drive To Survive” series in the US — that they resigned to taking a financial loss this year.
“We know what we need to deliver on now is expectation. That is probably the biggest challenge,” Richard Cregan, the Miami Grand Prix CEO, recently told The Post, while Dolphins president and CEO, Tom Garfinkel, confirmed expenses “far exceeded” what was anticipated.
“It will take two or three years to get to a situation where we’re comfortable with the product [and] comfortable with the profitability,” Cregan said.
With a 10-year deal in place, it’s clear 2022 was about delivering a spectacle, with profits arriving later.
That said, the glitz and glamour of the weekend weren’t just reserved for the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Matt Damon, who watched from the hospitality suites — which happened to be catered by Carbone’s parent company, Major Food Group, and celeb-magnet David Grutman — but for the average fan, too.
In fact, more than 10,000 spectators — predominantly made up of young people — arrived at the stadium Wednesday for an Opening Party, which resembled the mania of a rock concert as the drivers and team principals, who were relatively unknown in the US just a few years ago, were introduced on stage.
DJ Kygo performed a set and brought Brazilian superstar Anitta on stage, along with Joe Jonas, giving attendees a taste of the star power that was to come over the following days.
Elsewhere, fans could have also purchased tickets — albeit pricey ones — to watch the on-track action from the Hard Rock Beach Club, or aboard a yacht on the MIA Marina, which featured a sheet of aquamarine plastic designed to look like real water.
Barton and Gray co-founder Doug Gray, whose boats took up two of the 10 slots on the dry dock marina, said tickets sold out in less than three minutes, going for well over $9,500 a pop.
“Our company hosts over 50 events a year: we’ve done the Masters, we’ve done the Super Bowl, and I can’t see how this [the race] could have gotten better,” he told The Post.
Memes about the “fake” marina, which were practically inescapable on Twitter over the weekend, suggested the landlocked race had failed at attempting to emulate the old-world glamor of Monaco’s Grand Prix, which runs along the Mediterranean Sea.
Gray, however, thinks critics are missing the point.
“It was very Florida and very Miami. I mean, Disney’s in Florida,” Gray said, noting attendees ranged from F1 super-fans to cashed-up punters in town to sip champagne and watch the spectacle.
“That’s a huge defining element of the Florida experience: creating worlds from imagination. It was a world created for the South Florida, bougie, glamorous, international lifestyle, and I think they embraced it with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek.
“Just look at the fashion and the party scene here, it’s always just a little bit absurd. And after Coronavirus, a little bit of absurdity felt great.”
Over at the beach club, well-dressed attendees laid back in cabanas or cooled down in the pool while sipping on top-shelf liquor.
The Post was told A-listers such as Tyga, Logan Paul, Maluma, and The Chainsmokers also spent time in the area, while Zedd and Post Malone took the stage for performances between the action on the track. The latter even concluded his set by drinking out of an audience member’s shoe — a nod to McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, who popularized the “shoey” celebration.
The Red Bull Energy Station also set up camp in Miami, playing host to the likes of Dax Shephard, with as much emphasis on the open bar and pumping tunes as Verstappen’s stunning win on Sunday.
As for the race itself, which became the most viewed F1 event in US television history, drivers and fans alike leveled plenty of criticism over the track.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez called it “a joke,” while other drivers, such as Ricciardo, said there was only one line on the newly-constructed track with enough grip, which made racing “one dimensional” and overtaking difficult.
Although Verstappen passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the lead on lap nine of 57, what followed was a relatively processional race until a safety car was triggered on lap 41 and shuffled the order.
“It could be a bit [like] Baku,” Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz said, referring to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the punishing nature of a street circuit.
One only has to look at Baku’s spectacularly uneventful inaugural race in 2016, which was followed by some of the most dramatic F1 races of the modern era, to realize what Miami could deliver in the years to come.
Many would argue the less-than-thrilling race barely detracted from the spectacle at all, as some fans spent the entire weekend in South Beach only attending supporting events.
Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, and Martin Garrix headlined parties across the city, while celebs flocked to intimate offerings such as the $3000-a-head Carbone Beach Party, or the invite-only Red Bull Guest House.
Even McLaren’s Lando Norris and Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly, who clashed on track during Sunday afternoon’s race, appeared to have resolved any tension in time to experience Miami nightlife at E11even a few hours later.
Teams also had a presence on the party scene, particularly McLaren, which hosted several sponsor events, including an intimate Q&A with their drivers, followed by a DJ set from Hilton.
“We recognize we’re in the sport and entertaining business, and we recognize the most important customer is the fan,” Zak Brown, McLaren’s CEO, told the Post.
“This really feels like the Super Bowl — celebrities everywhere, corporate partners everywhere. The city’s buzzing.”
As Formula 1 heads to Monaco in a few weeks and inevitable comparisons are drawn to Miami’s inaugural race, Gray urged fans to look at the events as totally unique offerings.
“South Florida doesn’t need to try to be anything but South Florida, in the same way Monaco would never try to do South Florida,” he said.
“They both can stand on their own two feet … and I can’t wait to go back to Miami.”
