Marketing Mayhem at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix

Jim Kamp

Director, Communications and Content

At the Hard Rock Stadium, the real race is for attention, and brands play to win.

In May, Miami, Florida hosted the sixth event of the 2025 Formula 1 season. This was only the third time F1 had come to Miami, but the spectacle was already running at full throttle.

The Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix didn’t just show up this year—it flexed harder than ever. Still draped in designer shades and dripping with sponsored swagger, it doubled down on the persona of Formula 1’s American fever dream: less Monaco, more music festival with a side of supercars.

There was nothing subtle about its presentation. Miami brought neon excess, celeb-studded gridwalks, and viral stunts that blurred the line between brand activation and EDM afterparty. It’s racing meets reality TV—on turbo.

Though it might seem chaotic, it’s all part of a calculated marketing strategy to bring in more fans and embody the event’s tagline: “the race that’s an experience.”

The Method to the Madness

“This is not just a spray-and-pray marketing approach. It actually is about finding the right segments, and delivering the right message and the right product to the right segment.”

– Pri Shumate, SVP and CMO of the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Miami Grand Prix

This year, the team at Hard Rock Stadium, headed by SVP and CMO Pri Shumate, was focused on building up the identity of the event. A hybrid of sport and spectacle that only South Florida could pull off—part beach party, part brand showcase, and part cultural flex.

They wanted to bring more fans to the track compared to previous years by appealing to a larger audience, including the broader travel market and women F1 fans.

Their marketing included a mix of digital and social ads, with the aim of showing off the event’s major spectacles and returning attractions.

Fake Marina 3.0: The infamous vinyl marina got an “upgrade” this year—now with augmented reality overlays and branded yacht parties (on dry land, naturally).

Art x Speed: Wynwood went trackside again, with live art battles and NFT drops tied to lap times.

Pit Stop Palates: Michelin-starred chefs served street food with elevated racing flair—think caviar tacos and champagne snow cones.

Soundwaves & Straightaways: Post-race sets by Bad Bunny and Peggy Gou turned the paddock into a dance floor.

Of course, the real marketing horsepower came from the brand sponsors themselves.

Brands Drift, Drop, and Vy for Pole Position

At the Miami Grand Prix, brand presence isn’t just about logos—it’s about jaw-dropping moments that double as social currency.

What followed was a series of activations as high-octane as the race itself:

LEGO: Like in previous years, the life-sized LEGO cars returned—this time with hybrid engines (yes, really). F1 drivers turned kids’ toys into headline gold.

Glenfiddich: The whisky distillery made a trackside statement with a green double-decker VIP viewing lounge, serving a curated menu of elevated cocktails.

Louis Vuitton: Louis Vuitton placed itself on the podium by awarding race winner Oscar Piastri (team McLaren) with a bespoke trophy trunk.

Adidas: Adidas unveiled an all-new Miami-inspired summer collection and then launched a series of pop-up shops along South Beach.

The Metrics Behind the Mayhem

All the hype and high-gloss spectacle led to exactly what organizers were aiming for: numbers worth bragging about.

The three-day event was attended by a sellout crowd of approximately 275,500 fans.

Despite fierce streaming competition, the race pulled in 2.17 million U.S. viewers—a dip from last year’s record high, but still the third-highest in American F1 history.

Miami’s F1 contract runs through 2041, ensuring the glitzy, unhinged crown jewel of U.S. racing isn’t going anywhere.