Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Patrick Mahomes, Ed Sheeran among celebrities at Miami Grand Prix

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Ed Sheeran delights fans at Miami Grand Prix

Grammy winner Ed Sheeran performs 'Perfect' at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on May 4, 2024.

MIAMI GARDENS — The celebrities were out – from Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes to singer Camilla Cabello. The guest list at the F1 Miami Grand Prix featured Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and Mahomes’ Kansas City teammate Travis Kelce – albeit without his girlfriend, Taylor Swift. Soccer star Zinedane Zidane and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were trackside, too.

Ed Sheeran serenaded fans on Saturday and famed Miami musician Marc Anthony sang the national anthem on Sunday.

Even former President Donald Trump – a South Florida “local” - showed up an hour before the green flag. Earlier this week, one of his supporters tried – but was prevented - from selling tickets to his luxury suite to benefit Trump’s 2024 campaign for president.

As the attendance suggests, the Formula One CRYPTO.com Miami Grand Prix absolutely remains the place to be seen on this first weekend in May – a mix of high-wattage celebs and high-powered cars under the blue skies in front of the teal grandstands. Decidedly South Florida.

Tom Garfinkel, the managing general partner of the Miami Grand Prix as well as Dolphins executive, said ticket sales remained as robust as ever in the third year of the race. Judging from the crowd – both in the grandstands and walking around the circuit – that was true. Race officials expected in excess of 275,000 fans over the course of the three-day grand prix weekend.

Both on-track and away from the track, the event has been deemed a success, Garfinkel says he fully expects to host a Formula One grand prix beyond the current 10-year contract.

“I would expect this to be here past the 10 years and I’ll leave it at that,’’ Garfinkel told a small group of reporters Sunday morning.

The drivers have certainly been fans of the Miami locale from the beginning – so many showing up in town early or staying late depending on what the sport’s schedule allows. And even with the United States now hosting three F1 events, the drivers seem to think there’s a place for all the American races.

“I think the sport’s got bigger here,’’ said seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who drives for Mercedes. “It’s got a lot more awareness. Every city that I go to, people are excited. It’s not a sport here in the States, before it was just an event that arrived once a year. Now we’re kind of a part of the culture here which is really, really cool.

“It’s been amazing and I think all of us are super grateful for the U.S. finally embracing this sport and having the love and passion for it that we all have grown up with."

Garfinkel has made sure the circuit has addressed any concerns the drivers and teams have had in the opening two years of competition – mostly small tweaks to the 3.363-mile circuit – called the Miami International Autodrome - constructed around Hard Rock Stadium.

“I think at the end of the day, we want it to be the racing that comes first,’’ Garfinkel said. “We wanted to produce a racetrack that delivered quality racing and where there was overtaking and where there's exciting places to watch the racing. 

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“And then after that, we want to create a great experience around that and hopefully, whether you're a hardcore fan or whether you're just a casual fan that wants to come out here and have a good time, you know you can have both."

Garfinkel said he thinks there’s plenty of room for success for the current slate of three U.S. venues – at Miami, at the Austin, Texas permanent circuit and the Las Vegas street course that debuted last fall.

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“We're just trying to make this the best event we think it can be,’’ Garfinkel said. “We do try to think differently and be creative and do some fun things whether that is putting risers on campus for people right on the racetrack and providing great food and beverage for them and different experiences and having a gondola with glass bottoms, they can go over the racetrack and just try to do some different things that are fun. 

“But, you know, we'll continue to try to tweak on that and add fun things as we move forward.”