Major Renovations Are Underway At Hard Rock Stadium Ahead Of Miami Race Week 2023 Posted on January 22, 2023 by Sarah Elles Boggs With the inaugural Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix being such a resounding success, organizers have set a major renovation of Hard Rock Stadium into action ahead of Miami Race Week 2023. The 2022 event hosted nearly 250,000 spectators in the Miami International Autodrome over three days, making it the most attended event in the history of Hard Rock Stadium, and was ranked as Sports Business Journal’s Best New Event of 2022. In addition to the accolades, excitement, and overall fun, Miami Race Week brought in over $350 million to the local economy! To ramp up for the 2023 event, race organizers have made a significant investment into the Miami International Autodrome for the race on May 5-7, 2023. Here is a breakdown of what to expect: The New Permanent Paddock Club A brand-new permanent Paddock Club is being introduced above the pit garages. This has been in the works for the past six months, including a building with 190,000 square feet of space for the Paddock Club that invites over 6,000 guests to premium suites and a luxury rooftop club. The three-level structure has been built over the team pit garages, offering views of the pit lane and start/finish straight. There will be new global catering experts and more of them. New spaces will open up at The Vista at Turn 1 and The Boathouse at MIA Marina. Paddock Expansion – Team Village Imagine having a birds’ eye view of the Team Village with exclusive insight into the behind-the-scenes working of the Formula 1 paddock! This year, you will be able to do this. All Campus Pass ticket holders will be able to access the 300 level of Hard Rock Stadium to look directly into the Team Village from above. Speaking of the Team Village, it is also going to be expanded onto the Miami Dolphins football field in the center of Hard Rock Stadium. Inside the village will be hospitality units for the ten Formula 1 teams and the drivers will be based there all weekend. Does Max Verstappen really have a temper? Watch and you just might see… These tickets will go on sale starting Monday, January 23rd. A New Track Organizers have brought on renowned German track designers TILKE to repave the entire 3.36-mile track to increase the spectacle for fans. Drivers are now given additional opportunities to overtake one another with improved grip levels. Last year’s race saw 45 overtakes over 57 laps, many more are expected this year. “After an incredible debut race, we have been working flat-out to ensure the 2023 event is an even greater experience for everyone visiting the Miami International Autodrome,” said Tyler Epp, President of FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX. “Stephen Ross and Tom Garfinkel are committed to making May’s event a best-in-class experience that is unlike any other Formula 1 race in the world. With new and enhanced hospitality experiences, the creation of the F1 Team Village directly on the football field and increased capacity we are expecting our second race to be even bigger and better for the fans, the teams, drivers, partners and everyone in South Florida.”
Inside The Glitz And Glam At Miami Grand Prix Posted on May 5, 2022May 6, 2022 by Sarah Elles Boggs As we discussed yesterday, the inaugural Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix is expected to far surpass both the Super Bowl and the annual Art Basel festival (the two highest-grossing events that Miami hosts) with regards to revenue to the community. We discussed the ticket prices, which start at $270/person for one day of the qualifying round, or $600/person for the actual race on Sunday, not counting VIP, food, drinks or parking. This is the starting price to simply walk in the gate. Besides the tickets, food and beverage, job creation and the PR for the Magic City (as if we needed more positive PR, but we’ll keep our egos in check for just a moment), what are some other spots that our guests might enjoy during their swanky stay? Here’s a breakdown of some of our favorites… Inside The Circuit Gates Once you are parked, shuttled to the gate and enter the circuit, there are several upgrades you may want to take advantage of. For starters, near Turns 11-13 is the Hard Rock Beach Club. Here you will find sand, pools, concerts and a cabana package that will set you back $65,000 for 10 guests. There is also an MSC Cruises yacht club that is part of a man-made marina setting that features dry-docked luxury boats. Keeping with the theme of South Florida Luxury during the weekend (and fully competing with the opulence that is Monaco), the Miami Grand Prix is bringing in the Paddock Club. The famous Paddock Club is normally situated over team garages and at the start and finish line. It is open to just 5,000 guests. Tickets typically go for $6,000, but in Miami they are $9,000 due to increased demand. If you were not so lucky to reserve a pass to the Paddock Club prior to reservations filling up, they can be found for $20,000 for the weekend or $15,000 for Sunday only. The average ticket price to Miami’s Super Bowl LIV was $5,900, to give you a reference. (rates via Tick Pick) Even if you do not opt to splurge on the Beach Club or Paddock Club, this does not mean that you are relegated to Fyre Festival fare. Concessionaire Sodexo Live is bringing in the big guns with food and beverage offerings. “It’s a different kind of event,” said Zachary Williams, Sodexo Live general manager of F1, and director of food and beverage for Hard Rock Stadium. “They’ve got a very high level of expectation, which, so do we, so I think we all know how to handle that.” The operation will be based upon three main kitchens. Two are permanent spots inside the Hard Rock Stadium and the main kitchen is a temporary structure at Turn 5. From those three kitchens, 300 food and beverage locations will be scattered throughout the circuit. There is a mix of clubs, concessions, sit-down restaurants and adult beverage-focused outposts. There is also a stand-alone menu for each of the team suites. Catering to a crowd that is expected to be highly populated by South Americans and Europeans, the concessionaire has tapped master sommelier Carlton McCoy to draw up the wine list. Some of the outposts will offer bottle service and delivery to tables or seats. The restaurants will feature dishes from minority-owned businesses and Michelin star chefs. Food and beverage packages are available from $400 to more than $3,000 for a group of ten. You will likely not find much in the line of hot dogs and funnel cakes, but there will definitely be wagyu tenderloins, rock shrimp ceviche and smoked marlin dip. Out on the Town We know that visitors are not going to stick close to the circuit gates when the events are not happening. There is so much to do in Miami! And this week we’re coming in hot. The Wharf in Miami is hosting a McLaren event that features a customized 2022 McLaren GT. The car will be on display all weekend as part of the “Vuse Ultimate Ride” challenge in collaboration with UNDEFEATED, a streetwear brand. After a press tour, the olive-green ride will be awarded to a fan at the Formula One race in Austin TX in October. Vuse X UNDEFEATED X McLaren Racing Ultimate Ride New York staple, Carbone, is offering a pop-up experience aptly titled “Carbone Beach” that will offer a select few a $3,000 pasta dinner. Of course, I am making light of the famous Carbone pasta. There is much more to the party than that. Only available to American Express cardholders and encompassing far more than just the famous pasta, the $3,000 reservation fee gains you entrance to the special beach club for a cocktail hour and caviar bar, followed by a seated dinner prepared by chef Mario Carbone himself. As you devour your spicy rigatoni vodka, you will be surprised by a host of big artists and musicians and other activities throughout the evening. The pop-up beach restaurant is located at 18th and Collins and will be open from 8pm-midnight on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Reservations can be secured here. Celebrities & Parties! Hey! A world-class event in Miami wouldn’t be a world-class event in Miami without famous people and nightclubs. I’m not even sure I have room on this blog to fit in every newsworthy event, but here are a few that stick out as being exceptionally cool. The Red Bull Guest House at Faena Miami Beach promises an athlete, artist and influential industry leader-filled soiree for each of the three nights of the race. Curated music experiences from Arca, Channel Tres and Richie Hell are scheduled, plus you can rub elbows with the top Red Bull athletes. If you happen to over-imbibe, you can also stay in the penthouse of the hotel for a cool $120,000. This price also grants you access to the Red Bull team’s hospitality suite at the race itself. 100% worth it. If you would like to stay closer to the Miami Gardens circuit, don’t forget to pass by the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Friday night to see Post Malone kick off the festivities. Oasis Wynwood is bringing in DJ Kaskade on Saturday night and Diplo on Sunday night to wrap up the weekend. Cook something up with “Breaking Bad” co-stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul at the SLS South Beach on Saturday, May 7. The duo will host the opening night of The Cocktail Shack with their mezcal brand, Dos Hombres. They will also be around for another pop-up event at Bottled Blonde in Wynwood. E11even, the Miami hotspot that is not a topless club but absolutely features topless women (semantics) has quite the extensive lineup. Throughout the week and weekend you will find performers including Rick Ross, Diplo, Snoop Dogg, Travis Scott and Tiësto. These are only the celebrities who are booked to perform. It is practically impossible to arrive at E11even and not rub elbows with at least a handful of celebrities. Be careful at E11even though if you are not skilled at Miami nightlife. It is one of the many famous entrances to the infamous “Demon Dome.” This is where you enter a nightclub and have so much fun, you finally leave and don’t realize it is already the next day. You don’t want to accidentally miss the race because you got sucked into the Miami Metaverse. Pace yourself. The race is at the circuit, not the club. The Fontainebleau’s $1 Million F1 Package We were only partially kidding about pacing yourself at E11even. This week is dedicated to over-the-top opulence, indulgence and living on the edge, so how better to indulge than to experience something that fits in every category of this article?? Let’s talk about The Fontainebleau’s $1 Million Miami F1 package that puts the grand in Grand Prix. The iconic Miami Beach hotel is offering a round-trip flight for yourself and 13 of your best friends (or clients or colleagues, as the case may be) on a private flight. You will enjoy five presidential suites at the Fontainebleau, a VIP suite at the Miami Grand Prix and a private VIP table each night at LIV for the “Miami Race Nights” event. This includes unlimited bottle service as well as artist meet-and-greets. Scheduled to headline the Miami Race Nights event are Calvin Harris and David Guetta. Oh, and you will also have a private mega-yacht to cruise around on when you’re decompressing or thinking about what time you might want to show up for the race. Now THAT is a super Miami weekend! Although we have only highlighted a handful of events, Miami is certainly rolling out the red carpet to establish our spot as one of the most desirable cities in the world. Tomorrow we will go over some of the top condo buildings for car enthusiasts, including some that the drivers themselves are checking out. Stay tuned…
Step Aside, Art Basel. The Miami Grand Prix Has Arrived Posted on May 4, 2022May 6, 2022 by Sarah Elles Boggs Step aside, Art Basel. Your big brother is coming in fast. Really fast. The first annual Miami Grand Prix is upon us. That’s right. The first annual Miami Grand Prix begins on Friday, May 6, as the culmination of Miami Race Week 2022. The event has already surpassed both the Super Bowl and Art Basel, which was previously heralded as the biggest revenue draw of the year for Miami-Dade County. In previous years, Art Basel has been the crown jewel of the Miami social scene, bringing upwards of 80,000 visitors for the weekend. All of these visitors are very, very VIP (cue the Anna Delvey voice). But on a real note, these visitors do come in with some serious clout as referenced by Miami Today. Hotel rooms average $1,000/night during the weekend and the festival generates $1 million in resort taxes alone over the span of a a few days. The art show brings in more private flights than a Super Bowl and generates around $16 million in revenue for the community. Not a bad haul for the Magic City by any means. Enough of the past. What is happening now? While the numbers for both the Super Bowl hosting gigs and the annual Art Basel Miami Beach festival are impressive, the Miami Grand Prix has already surpassed them in a number of ways. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have descended upon Miami and Miami Beach to celebrate all things fast, and these are not just any visitors. As of the time of publication, the tickets start at $270 per person to watch the qualifying round and warm-ups. The tickets for Sunday’s actual race begin at $600 per person. This does not include VIP, food, drinks or parking. This payment gets you in the gate for one day. The folks who travel to enjoy this show are not rowdy spring breakers or ravers. They are distinguished titans of business from around the globe. The Grand Prix has traditionally been popular with the well-heeled adrenaline junkie crowd (think startup founders, entrepreneurs, other people who make lots of money and love to live on the edge), but the sport has had a recent surge in popularity thanks to the Netflix series that goes behind the scenes of the sport. Before 2012, the number one place to watch the Grand Prix was on Memorial Day Weekend in Monaco. Then the sport expanded to the US in Austin, Texas. This expansion re-invigorated the city and activated an entire section of town that was previously blighted. Over 400,000 people descended upon the Lone Star State to throw money around and watch the race. Year over year, the outcome was similar. As the sport grew in popularity, intentions to expand were made clear. Organizers had looked for a second US location to host the races and options included New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami. Thanks to Stephen Ross, founder and chairman of Related Cos and owner of the Miami Dolphins, Miami was tapped to host a race each year for the next ten years. The race circuit is hosted outside Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens. While it is not the beachfront or downtown location that many had hoped for after NIMBY’s got ahold of the idea, there is plenty of room to host and the outcome could be very similar to that of Austin’s experience. The beach is not so far away and this is yet another avenue to activate a section of Miami-Dade County that has previously been sort of left out. Stay tuned as we cover some of the fun and over-the-top events that are coming with the race weekend. We guarantee it will knock your socks off.