Everything You Need to Know About the Miami Grand Prix

Including how to best use a bathroom break

April 4, 2023 6:30 am
Part of the course at the Miami Grand Prix
Part of the course at the Miami Grand Prix
Miami Grand Prix

After last year’s successful debut, the Miami Grand Prix returns to the Formula One calendar for 2023 — again taking place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The street-style course will offer seating for a staggering 56,000 attendees as F1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and others fly around the track in early May. 

Miami is now the first of three races in the United States in 2023 and features 19 corners, three straights and a top speed of 198 mph. The event will bring back the “marina” area near Turns 6 and 7, where swanky yachts will drop anchor (read: sit in a parking lot) for luxury ticket holders. Additional upgrades for 2023 include a new permanent Paddock Club above the pit garages, an expansion of the F1 paddock onto the field of Hard Rock Stadium to create a Team Village for fans to visit the drivers all weekend long and new hospitality spaces. Last year saw a hotly contested race with a staggering 45 overtakes across 57 laps; I’m no math wizard, but that’s nearly a position chance on every lap, so there’s a precedent for an exciting race again in 2023. 

With the race happening in just a few weeks, it’s good to have all the information you need to figure out the who, what, when, where and why of the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, so we’ve made you a handy guide to save you a bit of Googling before the race goes down. So before the drivers take their spot on the grid and the lights go out, here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Miami Grand Prix — from who will (likely) win to when it starts and where you can watch it. 

Where can I watch the Miami Grand Prix?

Grandstand tickets are available (only) as three-day packages for May 5 – 7. Tickets for the North Beach Grandstand are sold out, but some remain available in other areas. Sample prices: $1600 and up for the Start/Finish grandstand, with a view of the pit lane, starting grid and Start Finish straightaway. The South Beach grandstand, with “party atmosphere” and bench seating, is in the high three digits. 

If you don’t feel like making the trip to Miami Gardens, ESPN has an agreement with Sky Sports for F1 broadcasting rights in the US. As such, the Worldwide Leader in Sports typically just airs the Sky telecast on ESPN during race time. For the Miami Grand Prix, however, the event shifts to ABC on network television instead. You can also subscribe to F1 TV for $9.99 a month or take advantage of a seven-day free trial to watch Miami if you’d prefer. 

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There’s also a significant chance some major cities will host F1 watch events, considering the sport’s gains in popularity over the last few years. 

The best part, though? All F1 broadcasts are entirely commercial-free, so there’s no break from the on-the-track excitement. It also makes it slightly tricky to time out when to go to the bathroom. 

Who will win the 2023 Miami Grand Prix?

It’s still a little premature to tell, but the reigning champion Max Verstappen and his UK-based, Austrian-licensed team are both significantly ahead in the team-based Constructors Championship even in these early stages and will likely continue to dominate accordingly. However, last year, the Grand Prix saw Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finish second and third, so they’ll likely be well-suited here as well. And don’t count out Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who continues to find new heights in F1 at a staggering 41 years old. But all that throat-clearing aside, Verstappen and Red Bull remain dominant across the early races in 2023. Anticipate that to continue throughout the year — and certainly in Miami. 

How many laps is the Miami GP?

Fun fact: F1 doesn’t have to run a dedicated lap count; instead, they operate on a specific mile count. Miami’s track is 3.36 miles and needs to run roughly 190 miles, which resulted in 57 laps for last year’s race. That 57-lap length should stay consistent for 2023. 

When is the Miami GP?

The race will occur on Sunday, May 7, 2023, with practice sessions on May 5 and 6 and qualifying on May 6.

What time does the Miami GP start?

3:30 p.m. Eastern, which is much nicer for us Americans than some of the other races throughout the F1 calendar, which can start as early as 1 a.m. Eastern. That mid-afternoon start offers plenty of time to get brunch in, prior to lights out.

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