FanAmp partner, Rob (F1FantasyHub), attended the 2024 Miami Grand Prix in the Red Bull Hospitality Suite - here are his insights, experiences, and behind the scenes tips from the paddock!
Rob (F1FantasyHub) from FanAmp's The Fantasy Formula - had the opportunity to attend the Miami Grand Prix on a media pass - and was headquartered in the Red Bull Hospitality Suite!
If you want to learn more about Miami - check out our other Miami GP articles and guides - from seating guides to offtrack activities. AND if you're heading to the Miami GP, download FanAmp to meet others attending your race!
There are two ways to get in to the Miami GP Paddock on campus. There is a designated media and teams entrance, that I entered through, and the general entrances for the circuit where you would then proceed to the F1 Paddock Club entrance. Once you enter the general paddock area, you scan the barcode on your phone as with any normal ticket and they’ll hand you your lanyard. Next comes the famous Paddock gates and turnstiles. Once you swipe the card your credentials will pop up and you can enter the “paddock area”.
It’s important to note that with a general Hospitality pass (one that you can purchase), you will not have access to the iconic Stadium Paddock. That is reserved for teams, staff, and specific media. So, if you’re purchasing hospitality - know that your access is limited to the pit/ garage area.
Once you enter, you’re not standing in the actual F1 paddock itself. You will be adjacent to the famous paddock you see on TV. You walk through a foyer area with marketing collateral from show cars to free drinks and food.
From there, it’s essentially a choose your own adventure based on your pass. Most of the passes will take you to the suites based on brands and teams who have hospitality at the race. Every brand from American Express to Hilton and team suites for Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, etc…
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The suite is…. No shock here… very nice. I was in the Red Bull suite throughout the weekend. It is situated directly above the garages on pit-lane (which is the case for most circuits). It’s much larger than a suite that you would see at a concert venue, and there was a lot of space to hang out, eat, and participate in fun activations.
The point of the Red Bull suite (as with most other suites) is that you are spending a lot of money to experience comfort and ‘not want to leave’. The attendants set a great atmosphere, engaging with guests, making sure that every need was tended to, and were willing to go out of their way to make guests feel welcome.
You are fed throughout the day all included with your pass. You can choose a full lunch, a multitude of snacks, and of course an open bar. Most of the cocktails this weekend were Red Bull based drinks. However, they were running a partnership with Patron, so you could order custom Patron drinks as well in special glasses. You could take these glasses home with you as souvenirs.
All of the food stations were in more of a common hallway that connected all of the suites.You would exit the suite to grab food, but it was situated directly outside of the Red Bull Suite! So, the drinks and cocktails were the only things that differentiated by suite (due to beverage sponsors).
Many people who are in hospitality suites are just as much fans as everyone else at the track. There was a full driver simulator setup, where you could race around the Miami Circuit (or choose from 1-2 other circuits). The entire suite itself is essentially a lounge where you could eat your food, converse with other people in the suite and watch some special guests speak to the audience.
Max and Checo were both interviewed in the suite’s lounge area at different times throughout the weekend! They also took some audience questions.
There are other things that come with access to the suite including the pit lane walk, walking around the Paddock Club itself, visiting the rooftop bar, and the F1 Paddock lounge (non- team specific).
Additionally, on Saturday and Sunday, you will be able to board an open air bus/shuttle and take a tour around the track - if you’ve attended a race before, you’ve likely seen this happen. You really can’t comprehend the intricacies of driving a circuit until you’ve been able to go around the track like this. You have a much greater appreciation for how the drivers can navigate some of these sectors at incredibly high speeds that you wouldn’t dream of driving yourself.
You will have access to the pit lane at various times throughout all three days of the weekend, but on Sunday it will take a lot longer because there are more people in the paddock and hospitality - so you should definitely take advantage of this earlier in the weekend. Generally the pit lane would be open when cars (including support series) are not on the track. However, throughout the weekend - especially because it was a sprint - you will have opportunities Saturday and Sunday to watch the teams practice pit stops, and move the care just feet from where you’re standing. It’s a very special and ‘unreal’ experience for F1 Fans - being able to be so close to the pit crew and watch the ‘goings on’ of the garage is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Miami is also known as a star - studded race, so you may brush shoulders with people like Ed Sheeran and Odell Beckham when you’re in the pits (or suite, for that matter). You can approach F1 and non-F1 celebrities for pictures (as long as you’re respectful), but you are not allowed within 10 feet of the garage or inside the garage. Generally, they will walk around, though - especially just before the race on Sunday.
You can watch directly from the suite as it is directly above the garages and the pit lane (2nd floor), you can also choose to go up to the rooftop bar that stretches across a large area of the paddock and have a great vantage point of the track and the main pit straight. On Friday and Saturday, it was very easy to get a great vantage point on the balconies, but on Sunday - you still have to arrive about an hour in advance to view the race from the balcony.
Additionally, during the sessions you have the option to take a headset from the team! This means you can hear Adrian Newey, GP, and the rest of the Red Bull pit wall telling Max and Checo which cars are on track, the delta to the car in front, or change to ‘x’ setting. The only thing you can’t hear is the driver audio, but this is still a very unique experience for any F1 fan - especially those who love strategy. It provides insight into technical concepts that, as a viewer at home or in GA/Grandstands, you may not even think about.
As someone who has been to all three United States Grand Prix’s now, Miami feels the most organized, cleanest, and aesthetically pleasing overall. The way that they’ve built all of these new structures adjacent to the Hard Rock Stadium feels seamless and organic. There’s also a lot of greenery, plants, and an organic ‘campus-like’ feeling, rather than a collection of buildings and grandstands.
The paddock and the overall amenities of the track were significantly better, as well and felt like one massive experience versus multiple experiences depending on where you’re seated (as compared to other races like COTA). It was even easy to get from one side of the track to the other.
Additionally, although I didn’t experience this, the GA experience allowing you to enter the stadium and view the paddock is a vantage point that you can’t get at any other race. It really gives every fan the opportunity to feel like they’re a part of the race including spotting drivers and team principals.
It is very obvious to me that in its third year as a race - Miami has filled in most of the gaps and growing pains that fans heard about during its first 2 races. They have made every part of the experience enjoyable and connected from General Admission to Paddock and Hospitality.
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