As Formula 1 took over the magic city for the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, NYLON was on the ground to take you inside the exclusive weekend, from the race track and paddocks to the afterparties and beyond.
Friday, May 3
During the practice races, the cars zoom past the Liquid I.V. Race House at more than 200 mph, making conversations next to impossible if you’re not in the mood for yelling. Next, it’s time to explore the rest of the campus; there are multiple dance floors, a “marina” (parking lot painted to look like Biscayne Bay) packed with yachts, and even a furniture exhibition for fans willing to decorate their home with a Formula 1 helmet-shaped chair and a coffee table with a Ferrari engine as its base. Among the sea of fans wearing McClaren’s signature shade of bright orange or Ferrari red are women teetering in satin, candy-colored Amina Muaddi heels next to men with wrists weighed down by massive luxury watches that cost a cool six figures. This is Miami, after all.
Kendall Jenner is spotted chatting with Susie Wolff, the managing director of F1 Academy, while Steve Aioki performs “3 Days,” a song about a 72-hour bender. He brings out a cake during a remix of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” and the slightly sunburnt crowd goes nuts; we all know what’s coming next. Back at the Liquid I.V. Race House, I learn that Formula 1 drivers lose 4 to 10 pounds of sweat during races, prompting me to order my third Winnermelon of the day — a Liquid I.V. mocktail made with its watermelon-flavored hydration multiplier, fennel, basil, and watermelon juice. There will be no dehydration on my watch.
The beauty of the Miami Grand Prix is that the party really begins as soon as you leave the track. The lobby of The Setai is packed like a club, as a growing crowd attempts to snag a table at Jaya, the hotel’s new restaurant and a true Miami Beach hotspot. In between rounds of wasabi martinis and bites of crispy tuna rice, contortionists and dancers take the stage. One performer wears a nón lá illuminated with glowing lights that blur into an ethereal orb as she spins. By 1 a.m. there’s only one place to see and be seen: E11even. Miami’s renowned ultra-club is feeling the Formula 1 spirit; dancers’ bodies are painted to look like racing suits, their entire heads concealed by helmets. There’s just enough room to dance to a remix of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” without splashing my Red Bull vodka on a fellow attendee. At 3 a.m., women carrying sparklers and a cut-out of 50 Cent’s head enter the crowd ahead of the rapper himself, and soon, everyone in the club is singing along to “In Tha Club.”
Saturday, May 4
I’m less bleary-eyed than I anticipated for having been out until 4:30 a.m., which I credit to the recovery benefits of Liquid I.V. The Miami sun has turned up the heat and A-listers like Isabela Grutman and Braxton Berrios come cool off in the race house shade. On the Heineken Highline, I’m able to watch F1 Academy cars race from a bird’s-eye vantage point, and I’m very thankful to be back on solid ground once the gondola stations. By the time the Formula 1 qualifying race begins, only the piercing sound of zooming cars is able to keep me awake.
After a quick nap, it’s time for another party. At Nobu Beach House, fire dancers weave around crowds slurping down fresh oysters and tuna hamachi. I sip on my Nobu 75 — a spin on a French 75 with yuzu and rosé — and watch a trumpet player join the DJ spinning on the restaurant’s roof. Someone sends me a TikTok of an old Keeping Up With the Kardashians clip in which Kim demands a $2,500 suite at The Setai, and I smile.
Sunday, May 5
It’s finally race day, and it’s time to celebrate from inside the Paddock Club, the Miami Grand Prix’s exclusive hospitality area. Tickets cost a whopping $12,000 but include access to a cryochamber, five-star chef meals, and run-ins with celebrities. Camila Cabello and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc share a moment. (He enjoyed a TikTok she made.)
I grab a Pit Crew Punch, my go-to Liquid I.V. mocktail for the day packed with a tropical punch hydration multiplier, spirulina, and guava before watching John Summit’s DJ set. “His Coachella set changed my life!” yells a fan, and I can tell this one is doing the same. After securing lobster rolls and arepas, I grab prime seating at the Liquid I.V. Race House before the grand prix kicks off. Once the cars start zooming, the smell of hot asphalt and burnt rubber are intoxicating.
It turns out to be a historic race — not only does Blackpink’s Lisa wave the checkered flag to the delight of K-pop fans worldwide, but McLaren’s Lando Norris has his first-ever win. Bottles of champagne are popped in celebration from the Liquid I.V. house to the Paddock Club. Kaytranada hops behind the decks and plays a groovy set that brings the crowds onto the track itself. Delirious dancing ensues, along with talks of the night’s plans. People discuss dinner at Lucali, mansion parties on Miami Beach’s exclusive islands, and even a return to E11even. Anything is possible with this high.