Got a campus pass for the Miami F1? Then before you head to the track read this guide that I’ve put together with everything you need to know about attending the Miami Grand Prix.
It includes detail on the Miami GP general admission viewing areas, a full list of what to take with you, info on food, drink, water, prohibited items, the bag policy and much more.
Contents
What is the Miami F1 campus pass?
A campus pass at the Miami F1 is a general admission ticket. It gets you access to the whole Grand Prix venue and allows you to freely roam around the inside and outside of the circuit, through the differenct campuses surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium.
Campus passes for the Miami Grand Prix can be purchased for individual days – Friday, Saturday, Sunday – or all 3 days.
Miami F1 campus pass holders do not have access to grandstand seating on any day of the race weekend. Nor can you access any of the hospitality areas such as private suites, clubs (e.g Hard Rock Beach Club, Vista club) or get onboard the yachts in the MIA Marina. All of those experiences come at an additional cost.
You can’t go on the yachts themselves but you can walk around the Marina area, stand next to the ‘water’ and lounge under some cabanas which is well worth doing.
Miami GP Campus Pass tickets
Miami GP general admission tickets are the cheapest way to access the F1, but usually these tickets sell out quickly on the official site.
So I’d recommend buying tickets through StubHub where you can sometimes find them cheaper than list price, plus you’ll have lots of single-day ticket options.
I’ve bought Formula One tickets on StubHub a number of times over the last year, including when I went to the Las Vegas GP. I’ve always had a great experience and will definitely be using them for more F1 tickets this year.
They also have a ‘FanProtect guarantee’ which keeps your tickets and money safe.
Campus Pass F1 Miami viewing areas
Unfortunately, being a flat circuit built in a parking lot, the Miami GP general admission viewing experience isn’t great. Everywhere you watch from will have a very restricted view likely to only cover the section of track directly in front of you.
If you’re looking to visit a Formula 1 event in North America and are all about seeing the racing action but don’t want to pay for a grandstand seat, then check out the COTA general admission viewing. It’s some of the best at any F1 circuit across the world.
The Miami GA viewing, however, is nowhere near as good.
Below is a map of the general admission viewing areas at the Miami Grand Prix circuit which includes the spectator entrance gates around the venue.
If you’re attending for 2 or 3 days, the best idea is to spend the first day walking around the whole campus and trying out all of the different spots. Find the one you like the most then make a dash for that come Sunday morning as soon as the gates open.
General admission viewing platforms (pink rectangles)
There are GA viewing platforms dotted along the south ‘straight’ of the circuit.
An example of the platforms can be seen at 2:42 in the video below. It’s the rectangular grey structure on the left hand side of the track. They’re slightly raised up platforms, uncovered, that will give a little more elevation to your view than just standing on the ground would.
The viewing platforms are all along the flat-out ‘straight’ between turns 8 and 11. This is one of the Miami GP DRS zones, but until the cars reach the braking zone for Turn 11 not much overtaking usually happens here.
The platforms will be good to get a sense of speed as the cars fly past at close to and over 200mph, but that’s about all you’ll be able to see.
General admission viewing areas (blue squares)
The quality of the view from the Miami GP general admission viewing areas varies a lot. In some of them you’ll be right up against the fence so will only see a quick flash of the cars coming past you.
As an example this video was filmed from the outside of Turn 10. On the map above it’s the blue square just above and to the right of entrance gate 3.
The video below shows the view from the GA viewing area on the right hand side of Turn 5.
The general viewing area on the right hand side of turns 11 and 12 is a spot well worth checking out. It’s at The Beach area, and there’s a dedicated section for campus pass holders in front of the cabanas looking back towards Turn 11.
The video below shows some of this area at 3:43, highlighted with the pink outline in the image below it.
If you can get a spot at the fence here, you’ll have a great view of the cars coming in to and around Turn 11. There’s always a lot of overtaking action happening here so it’s probably one of the best general admission viewing points at the circuit.
This video shows the view from just to the right of Turn 9, the blue square above and to the left of Gate 4.
Hard Rock Stadium campus pass viewing areas (red circles and rectangles)
Campus pass Miami F1 ticket holders also have full access to the Hard Rock Stadium across the weekend. There are a number of different viewing areas in the stadium;
- Helix parking ramps at each corner
- 300 level viewing platforms
- Sit inside the stadium itself and watch the action on the big screens
Both the helix parking ramps and 300 level viewing platform give a very high vantage point of the circuit. Each side of the stadium gives a completely different view, and whilst the grandstands and buildings lining the circuit can stop you from being able to see huge amounts of the track, you can still see some great bits of action.
The video below shows a number of different vantage points from the 300 level Miami GP general admission viewing sections of the Hard Rock Stadium. Use the time stamps below to skip to the different views.
- 0:08 – start / finish straight.
- 1:02 – turns 4 / 5
- 5:10 – turns 17 / 18
Getting in and around the Miami F1 circuit
You’re probably going to be driving to the circuit for the F1 race. If so you’ll need somewhere to park, so read my full guide to Miami F1 parking. There’s a lot of information to be aware of so it warranted its own article.
The guide includes information on entrance gates and unofficial (cheaper) parking options that you can find on the day of the event if you haven’t booked anything in advance.
Once you’re in the Miami F1 campus you should be prepared to do some walking. There’s a number of pedestrian bridges crossing over the circuit that make it easier to get around.
The Miami F1 official campus map helps show these and the other facilities. Also download the Miami F1 app for the weekend as that’ll have the map on it.
Campus pass Miami - food, drink & water
Miami F1 prohibit you from bringing your own food and drinks in to the venue (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Your bag is liable to be searched on the way in, but you’ll probably be able to get away with taking in small snacks like energy bars.
The variety of food vendors at the Miami F1 was pretty vast last year. This year looks to be no different. See a list of the vendors here to whet your appetite.
As there’s a lot of individual vendors, prices vary. Last year you could get chicken tenders and fries for $15.
Some drink prices at the Miami F1 can be very reasonable; last year a double Margherita cost $12, craft beers were $8.
Water
You can bring your own water bottle and Camelbak in to the campus and there’s a number of free refill stations dotted around the site. Again their location is on the interactive map on the Miami F1 website and app.
Queues for the water stations can be long. There are water fountains near the bathrooms in the Hard Rock Stadium that are usually quieter than the rest.
For this year Miami F1 have said the following about bring pre-filled water in:
Empty plastic or silicone drinking container up to 32 oz. or less in size and empty hydration packs without pockets are permitted.
I would 100% be bringing a bunch of small water bottles in to the venue with me as well as refillable bottles, just to keep me going between using the water stations.
Also invest in some rehydration sachets like Liquid IV or DripDrop and add those to your water to help stay on top of your hydration.
Cell signal
On the whole the cell phone signal is pretty good. It can be a little patchy in parts, but the venue is used to hosting major events so they’re well prepared.
Some parts of the Miami F1 campus also have free Wifi, including the entry gates and the Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami F1 race commentary
Listening to the commentary from the Miami F1 campus pass viewing areas can be a little tricky, depending on where you’re stood. Again it’s worth walking around on the Friday and Saturday to try the different areas out.
The ultimate solution is to pay for the yearly F1 TV Pro subscription (about $80) and watch the coverage of the race on the F1 app. Bring some noise-cancelling headphones and you can listen to the official F1 commentators via the app whilst the race is unfolding right in front of you.
Schedule and timings
See the article on the Miami F1 schedule for full details of timings across the weekend, including gate opening times and on-track sessions.
Live music
There are concerts taking place at the Miami GP circuit all weekend, but these will be held in the Hard Rock Beach Club hospitality area which is only accessible to VIP ticket holders for that specific area.
However, the performances will be broadcast live on all other screens across the campus for everyone to watch.
Miami F1 bag policy
The Miami Grand Prix bag policy states that no clear bags larger than 12” x 6” x 12” are allowed in to the venue, and no non-clear bags that exceed 4.5” x 6.5” are allowed in.
Below is the full bag policy taken from the Miami F1 A-Z guide here.
However, the reality is that you can bring a small to medium sized backpack to the Miami F1 and you will get in ok. Check out 7:41 in the video below and you’ll see loads of people on the track after the race in 2022 with various sized bags.
Money
The Miami F1 is a cashless venue. Payments on cards, Apple Pay, G Pay and Venmo are all usually accepted at most vendors. Make sure you have a card with you in case vendors don’t take the other methods.
What to bring to F1 Miami
Below is a list of things you should consider bringing to the Miami Grand Prix:
General
- Tickets – on your phone (download the Miami F1 app before you head to the circuit to make sure you can access them)
- Money – cards & contactless payment. Miami F1 is cashless, there are no ATMs. Not all vendors use Apple or Google pay so bring a card too. But bring a bit of cash as there may be some guys offering rides to / from the parking lots on their bike cabs.
- Small to medium bag / backpack
- I.D. for buying alcohol
Sun protection & clothing
- Sun block
- UV protection lip balm
- Sun hat / cap
- Sun glasses
- Comfortable shoes suitable for walking – you’ll get a lot of steps in from walking around the campus and to / from your parking area
- Small battery powered face fan
Electronics
- Fully charged phone
- Battery bank / power pack
- F1 app on your phone to keep up with the action
- Noise cancelling headphones to connect to your phone
Spectating
- Ear plugs or ear defenders, especially for young kids
- Binoculars (not necessary as most things are close, but may be good if you are viewing from up top of the Hard Rock Stadium)
- Some merch or memorabilia for the drivers to sign at autograph sessions
Food / drink
- Reusable water bottle – rules state 32oz bottle each but that doesn’t seem to be strictly enforced. People use hydro flasks and other bigger refillable bottles, there are water stations all over.
- Factory sealed pre-filled 20oz water bottles – bring as many as you can!
- Camelback (should be empty)
- Tissues / wet wipes
- Small snacks – energy bars, trail mix etc
- Rehydration sachets or tablets to mix with your water
- You’re not supposed to bring your own food or alcoholic beverages in to the circuit. Enforcement of that is pretty lax on the Friday and Saturday but stricter on the Sunday.
Miami F1 prohibited items
The Miami F1 A-Z FAQ provides a full list of items that are prohibited from being brought on to the campus.
A few prohibited items in particular that you should be aware of are:
- Baby strollers
- Coolers
- Fixed or folding chairs
- Large umbrellas
- ‘Professional’ cameras (big DSLRs are a no, but obviously you will be allowed your cameraphone).
Thanks for the info! I am going this year and am so excited. Are you allowed to order a drink and carry it around the campus?
Hi Claire, yep that has been fine the previous years!
Thank you for all the information. I found it a very useful overview for someone about to visit for the 1st time.
Thanks for the comment Simon! Have a great race
thank you for info first ttime in miami .canada /monza/barcelona/ yes
No problem!
If you have a grandstand ticket, can you access all the Campus Pass areas?
Hi Ricky, yes you can!
Very Good Info! Will be there this year!
Great stuff! Have a great race!