• 150 students get a unique behind-the-scenes tour of the Miami International Autodrome on the first day of this year’s Formula 1® event.
• Students from Miami Gardens and the South Florida community enjoy special access to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 garage, pit lane, F1 ACADEMY support paddock and the winners’ podium.
• Community Night ends with Business of F1 Workshop featuring special guests, Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY, Jason Arthur, CEO of Mission 44 and Tyler Epp, President of the Miami Grand Prix.
• Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 driver Lewis Hamilton also hosts a special question and answer session for a number of local students.
On the opening day of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, a number of local students, from elementary school to college age, were given a unique opportunity to visit the Miami International Autodrome. The Miami Gardens students were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Formula 1 venue that included a pit lane walk, a tour of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team garage and F1 ACADEMY support paddock. Plus members of the SEEK Foundation attended a special question and answer session with seven-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton arranged by the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team in their team hospitality.
Each year, South Florida Motorsports, organizers of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, invite 150 students to the Miami International Autodrome from the local community. This year a number of students aged 16 and up took part in a Business of F1 Community Workshop which featured three guest speakers: Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY, Jason Arthur, CEO of Mission 44 and Tyler Epp, President of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. Students were able to converse with these organizational leaders in small-group settings and learn about their own journeys in motorsport.
The students came from a number of Miami Gardens and South Florida schools in addition to groups from SEEK Foundation (Seeking Education Empowers Knowledge), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Fab Lab, Girl Power Rocks, college interns from the MIA Academy and also students from Miami Dade College, with the latter having programs that specialize in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). During the Business of F1 Community Workshop, Susie Wolff spoke about leadership and the positive impact F1 ACADEMY has had on inspiring women to take up careers in motorsport — with the second round of the series taking place at Miami over the weekend. Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur led the students through a STEM activity and discussed the work the organization, established by Sir Lewis Hamilton, is undertaking to create a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world, including creating career opportunities in motorsport.
“We’re delighted to have welcomed so many local students to the Miami International Autodrome today for our Community Night,” said Tyler Epp, President of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. “It was great for them to get a special insight into a Formula 1 team garage and to hear from our special guests Susie Wolff and Jason Arthur. Miami Gardens is at the heart of this event and we’re proud to be connected to the young people from the local community. We hope their visit today will inspire them to follow future careers in innovation, science and technology.”
Susie Wolff, MBE, F1 ACADEMY Managing Director, added: “Our mission at F1 ACADEMY is to increase participation in motorsport – both on and off the track. We want to inspire a new generation of young women and send a clear message; there is a place for you in our sport. We’re proud to be contributing to today’s event with Mission 44 and the Miami Grand Prix, and to speak with students from the local community about the wide range of career pathways available to them in motorsport.”
Jason Arthur, Mission 44 CEO said: “Mission 44 was launched by Sir Lewis Hamilton to build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world. As we expand our work further in the U.S., we’re delighted to be working with F1 ACADEMY and the Miami International Autodrome to improve diversity in motorsport. Today’s event was a fantastic opportunity for Mission 44 to hear directly from young people in Miami about what more we can all do to support them to succeed in STEM and motorsport careers.”
Now in its third edition, race organizers South Florida Motorsports and Formula 1 have worked closely to engage with and support the local Miami Gardens community, providing over 1,500 tickets for residents, sponsoring a STEM education program through F1 in Schools, offering event internships for local students and featuring 10 local community restaurants on Campus during race weekend each year.
On the opening day of this year’s event, there were also a number of special activities taking place at the Miami Gardens venue. In a special tribute to honor the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death, a special mural was unveiled on the end of the Paddock Club building, next to FIA Race Control at the Miami International Autodrome. Tom Garfinkel, Managing Partner of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix introduced the Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra, who created the mural, while Ayrton’s niece Bianca Senna was in attendance for the unveiling.
Situated on the home turf of the Miami Dolphins team in the center of Hard Rock Stadium, the F1 Team Village played host to a unique crossover activation between F1 drivers and football players with a special punt catch challenge, featuring the Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and RB drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. The Dolphins players in attendance included Cornerback Siran Neal, Linebacker David Long Jr. and Wide Receivers Braxton Berrios and Mathew Sexton.
Ahead of the competitive action starting tomorrow, there was an opportunity for a number of Dolphins players to also experience a high-speed thrill-ride around the 3.36-mile Miami International Autodrome. Those enjoying a passenger lap included Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Wide Receiver Jaylen Waddle, Linebackers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, David Long Jr. and Running Back Raheem Mostert.
Round six of this year’s FIA Formula 1 World Championship gets underway with a single practice session tomorrow followed by Sprint Qualifying in the afternoon. There is also support action from F1 ACADEMY and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, while entertainment on the Campus comes from the likes of Marc Anthony, who will perform the national anthem on Sunday, Kaytranada, who will take over the podium following the race, as well as Ed Sheeran, Steve Aoki and more who will be on stage at Hard Rock Beach Club.
