Miami Grand Prix 2023 Races Into the Miami International Autodrome

The South Florida sun shone brightly on the 270,000 Formula 1 fans and assorted celebrities who turned out last weekend for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix. It shone even more brightly on Team Red Bull, whose drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio “Checo” Pérez, finished Sunday’s 57-lap main event one-two to snag the top spots on the podium.

Though most of the race resembled a merry-go-round – a very loud merry-go-round with speeds well in excess of 200 mph, but still – a good time was had by most, if not all. Contrary to local custom, fans began pouring through the gates of the Hard Rock Stadium complex soon after 1 p.m. to avail themselves of the food, the drink, and the all-powerful merch. By the time the race went off at 3:30, the grandstands were packed, the crowd (mostly) riveted.

In fact, the day’s only late arrival turned up at the very end, when the checkered flag failed to wave until after Verstappen crossed the finish line.

New Times contributing photographer Michele Eve Sandberg was on hand for all the Miami Race Week action, from pit row to celebrity row; a generous selection of her photos appears below. For more about the action – or comparative lack thereof – on the track, see Douglas Moskowitz’s race wrapup: “Verstappen Comes From Behind to Win an Uneventful Miami Grand Prix.” (F1 neophytes might want to refer to Doug’s “Beginner’s Guide to Formula 1.”)