INSIDE THE FIRST-EVER FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX WITH LEWIS HAMILTON

INSIDE THE FIRST-EVER FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX WITH LEWIS HAMILTON

May 9, 2022

by Cara G

England native, Lewis Hamilton was the only Black driver in Formula One history this weekend at the inaugural Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.

“This is the most diverse crowd I’ve ever received….It feels good not to be the only one of color on the stage,” Hamilton noted.

In Miami Gardens, the average resident — even if not the average spectator this weekend —were Black. It was a pleasant change compared to where Formula One (F1) tends to go, mostly across Europe and the Middle East, and it matters, he said.

“It definitely does have a significance,” Hamilton said. “The first five or 10, maybe five years or so I didn’t see many people of color in the grandstands. When I was on stage, very, very few people of color — not as diverse as I’d hoped and, as I said, yesterday I was standing on stage and I’m seeing the crowd. It couldn’t be any more diverse and that’s amazing for me.”

F1’s first ever race in Miami-Dade County took six years and two different cities to make happen, and Hamilton was the idea’s most outspoken advocate among the F1 World Championship drivers.

The event was the hottest ticket in town as a host of celebrities from the realms of showbiz, music and film in addition to sporting superstars enjoyed the world-class VIP guest experience. Stars at the track included David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Winnie Harlow, Paris Hilton and Pharrell who joined a host of Miami Dolphins players and Head Coach Mike McDaniel on the grid before the race.

At the chequered flag, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, after passing the Ferrari of Formula 1 World Championship rival Charles Leclerc.