MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – There couldn’t be a Miami Grand Prix without an F1 race party on the beach.
FTX, Mercedes AMG Petronas, and IWC Shaffhausen co-hosted the shindig, one of many held across South Florida on Sunday.
The Petronas team put a Formula 1 car on display, and there were plenty of Mercedes cars for people to check out as well.
The party had games, food, drinks, and lots of cars on display.
Guests could even make their own NFT.
The immersion style event stretched across South Beach with plenty to do.
Another cool feature was a realistic Formula 1 racing simulator from Motorsport Games that partygoers could try and get an idea what it’s like behind the wheel during an F1 race.
“A lot of people have never done this before, so it’s great to give people the exposure and get them to realize how hard driving a race car really is,” said Jay Bennell with Motorsport Games.
The event was free to the public and wrapped up Sunday night with a ticketed concert.
Another event in Wynwood had a race simulator in addition to a pit stop experience where guests could try their hands at changing tires.
The family-fun event was completely free.
Children enjoyed pedal car racing and time on bungee trampolines while adults in attendance were happy taking pictures by the amazing vehicles on display.
“This is just amazing,” said Jonathan Riseberg, of Fort Lauderdale. “It’s really cool to have such a global sport and this history, to have it for the first time in the U.S. in South Florida.”
It was a similar scene at Bayfront Park, where attendees could watch the race with the sand between their toes or try out many of the same interactive activities, such as attempting to change a tire or drive in a simulator.
“A Super Bowl, but for racing,” said Sam Wuerfl, of Miami. “It’s great.”
Miami Beach police said the event overall went pretty well and that there were little to no issues.