Formula 1 made an exhilarating return in Miami, with the Sprint weekend delivering a dramatic three days of leisure loved round the world. The drivers actually placed on a present for the myriad of sporting megastars who had been trackside at the Miami International Autodrome.
From legendary footballers and tennis icons to Olympic champions and American sports groups, the paddock was brimming with superb athletes – here is a rundown of the sporting celebrities at this yr’s Miami Grand Prix.
Lionel Messi
One of soccer’s all-time greats, with at least seven Ballon d’Or titles and a World Cup winner’s medal to his title, it’s no marvel Lionel Messi arrived at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday to a hero’s welcome.
The Inter Miami participant additionally introduced his household alongside to the Mercedes storage on Sunday – his kids actually made the most of the expertise, leaving with loads of crew merch and autographs from Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Not solely did Messi spend high quality time with the Mercedes pair, however he even bought to take a seat in Antonelli’s automotive, which clearly proved to be one thing of an excellent omen, as the Italian went on to win his third race on the bounce!
However, it was Messi’s go to to the Alpine storage that offered considered one of the most heartwarming moments of the entire weekend.
The whole crew had been starstruck – however none extra so than Franco Colapinto, for whom assembly his compatriot and childhood hero clearly meant every part to him. Whatever was stated between the pair forward of the race appeared to do the trick, as Colapinto went on to safe a career-best seventh-place end in the Grand Prix, ending off a improbable weekend for him.
Colapinto then took straight to Instagram afterwards and described the encounter as a dream come true and considered one of the most particular experiences of his life. Can’t knock that!
Rafael Nadal
One of the best ever males’s tennis gamers, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal headed to Miami for what turned out to be a packed weekend in the paddock for the Spaniard. He kicked issues off at the Ferrari storage earlier than becoming a member of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for a model occasion.
On Sunday, Nadal made some extent of visiting his Spanish compatriots – Carlos Sainz gave him and fellow Spanish sporting hero Jon Rahm a masterclass in F1 steering wheel expertise, earlier than Nadal swung by Aston Martin to meet up with Fernando Alonso.
But the spotlight of the weekend got here at the finish of the Grand Prix, as Nadal was handed the honour of waving the chequered flag as race winner Antonelli crossed the line.
Unlike some flag wavers who might need struggled with the bodily calls for of holding it aloft, one thing tells us a person with Nadal’s forearm power did not have that drawback!
Serena Williams
With 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her title and a profession that undoubtedly redefined girls’s tennis, Serena Williams is considered one of the most adorned athletes in any sport – and as a long-time F1 fan, a Miami paddock go to was inevitable!
As ever, Williams arrived in type, sporting Ferrari’s vogue label as she headed straight for the Scuderia storage for the day.
No doubt the spotlight of her go to was reuniting together with her shut good friend Hamilton. Williams later mirrored on Instagram with a heartwarming picture about how the pair first linked as two Black athletes dominating their respective sports in England – Wimbledon and Silverstone – at the identical time. Over a decade on, it appears their bond is as robust as ever.
Mikaela Shiffrin
The most adorned alpine skier in historical past, Mikaela Shiffrin spent the whole Miami weekend absorbing each second of the bumper Sprint motion. During the weekend, she was gifted a leather-based biker jacket by F1 companions Barilla – the excellent apparel for a weekend of motorsport.
She additionally crossed paths with Antonelli, who bought to strive on her 2026 Winter Olympic gold medal – maybe one other good omen for the Italian? When he went on to safe the win, she was amongst the first to congratulate him – posting her pleasure on Instagram and hailing it as fairly the race.
John Rahm and Ian Poulter
Known for his 5 Ryder Cup-winning victories with Europe and his love of motorsport, Ian Poulter was fairly busy in Miami this race week. Poulter was at the launch of McLaren‘s new golf line alongside fellow Team McLaren athletes Justin Rose and Michelle Wie West. Of course, he then caught round to soak up the race weekend and take in the motion, in addition to have a good time a double McLaren podium.
Fresh off his LIV golf win in Mexico City, Jon Rahm made the most of his weekend away from the fairways, becoming a member of compatriot Nadal on a tour of the Miami paddock and spending time with the Spanish contingent on the grid. Spanish sport was thriving in Miami!
Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Olympic and World champion Noah Lyles is quick turning into a fixture at the American races, and who can blame him? The man loves velocity! He introduced his trademark vitality to the grid forward of the Sprint race begin, a format he is aware of a factor or two about himself…
Meanwhile, for Olympic champion and world report holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the mum-to-be made her Grand Prix debut in Miami as a visitor of TAG Heuer – one other velocity lover of their factor!
Inter Miami
It wasn’t simply Messi making an look in Miami – he was joined by loads of his Inter Miami crew mates in the paddock all weekend lengthy. Former Barcelona and Liverpool ahead Luis Suarez gave out some suggestions and tips to Leclerc, earlier than having fun with the race in the Audi storage and on the grid.
Audi additionally had some footballing enjoyable in the stadium paddock, with Nico Hulkenberg and (*1*) having fun with some video games with the remainder of the squad – Bortoleto confirmed off a few of his Brazilian aptitude, leaving loads of the Miami crew fairly impressed.
The Miami Dolphins
Having used their stadium as the paddock for the week, it was solely proper for the Miami Dolphins crew to become involved with a few of the enjoyable.
The NFL stars frolicked with groups together with Mercedes, McLaren, and Cadillac on Thursday, getting a glimpse into the motorsport world after driving some go-karts on the Hard Rock Stadium turf. Then, the gamers put the drivers by means of their paces with some American soccer drills – we’ll go away you to evaluate which drivers had been naturals!
The Miami Heat
We had yet one more Miami sports crew on the grid this weekend – a number of members of the Miami Heat had been in attendance for his or her residence race, whereas additionally having fun with a particular sizzling lap expertise with Oscar Piastri.
Basketball gamers Simone Fontecchio and Jaime Jaquez Jr had been whisked round the observe by the Australian, and as at all times, you would see enjoyment combined with concern on their faces! Elsewhere, three-time All-Star Miami centre Bam Adebayo was noticed ingesting in the race day ambiance in the paddock.
Many extra
There had been athletes aplenty all week lengthy in Miami, together with the Argentine Grand Slam winner Juan Martin Del Potro, two-time Olympic Champion gymnast Sunisa Lee, four-time gold medal-winning swimmer Leon Marchand, five-time Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, DJ and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal, former quickest man Marcell Jacobs, and former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng.
How many did you notice over the weekend?