I always joke that my dad really wanted a son, but instead he had me, an only daughter.
He made me a huge sports fan. Like him, I love soccer, and we also bonded over watching F1 races.
When my son was born, my dad was over the moon about having an eventual buddy for all his sports adventures. He got my son really into racing, and they watched the F1 together every Sunday.
When my son turned eight, he asked to go to a race with my dad and me. We took him this weekend to the F1 race in Miami, and it was an unforgettable experience, for many reasons.
Getting to the race was straightforward
I was nervous about the logistics of arriving at the circuit in Miami. It was actually pretty straightforward, and we made it right as the parking lots opened at 9:30 a.m.
Getting in was also easy because we were so early. Doors opened at 10 a.m., and we headed straight to our seats to watch the F2 race to warm up for the excitement.
My son wanted some merch as a souvenir, but all the hats were $100 or more, so we skipped — I had purchased last year’s caps from eBay for $15 prior the race. One that was designed especially for the race sold out before the end of the day.
Prices were high, but not as much as in other sports
I recently went to see Inter Miami, and I was shocked by the prices of food and beer. At the race, prices were also inflated, but not as high as at the soccer match. For comparison, a beer at Nu Stadium was $20, while at the F1 race, they were $13.
The lines for food were outrageous, and I waited almost an hour for an arepa and some tequeños, which came to $57 after I added a beer. It was worth the wait, because everything was delicious.
To keep my son going throughout the day, I was very lax about ice cream; he could get as much as he wanted. He got two small cups of Dippin’ Dots, which cost $7 each, which wasn’t as expensive as the same ice cream in an Orlando amusement park the week prior, which came out to $15.
The heat was too much to handle
I’m not a newbie when it comes to heat. I’m from Argentina, grew up in Brazil, and lived in Miami for a year. I always joke that I’m a lizard because I love lying in the sun for hours doing nothing.
That said, the temps at the autodrome reached 99 degrees. Even in the shade, it was impossible not to sweat. My son started getting sleepy despite having a portable fan and about 35 bottles of cold water. By the end of the day, he was lying on me while waiting for the races to begin. It was a pretty long day — we were at the autodrome from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
I took my son to walk around the autodrome and explore different areas, while my dad, who is 81, rested in our shaded seats. If we were to go again, I’d skip the early entrance and arrive closer to noon for the main events, making the day shorter and more manageable for both my dad and my son.
Next time I’m bringing a bag
I read online that only see-through bags were allowed. I tried to buy one on Amazon, but it wouldn’t arrive on time. Still, I packed as many things as I could in my pockets.
The absolute musts were portable fans and ear protection for everyone. I purchased McLaren-branded Loops ahead of time — my son’s favorite F1 team — and they really came in handy. With the ear protection, you could still hear the roars of the engines every time they went past us. Without them, it was incredibly loud.
The exit was an absolute disaster
While we had so much fun cheering for Franco Colapinto (my fave driver) and Oscar Piastri (my son’s fave), leaving the autodrome was absolute chaos.
We took a small van back to our parking lot, which was not that far from the autodrome. On the way in, it took us maybe five minutes to get from our car to the race. On the way out, it took us over an hour, and we didn’t even make it to the parking lot.
The van didn’t have AC, and eventually the driver asked everyone to get out and walk over because every road leading to the parking lot was gridlocked. Having paid $75 for parking, the end of the day made it feel like it wasn’t worth the price.
All in all, my son was so excited to see the race cars in real life. He is already asking when we are going to another race. And my dad was beaming with pride just at the sound of that.
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