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The Miami Grand Prix track is infamous for its ‘fake marina’ on the inside of the circuit at turns 7 and 8. On the opposite side of the track to the marina are three spectator grandstands known as the Marina grandstands.
This article is a Marina grandstand Miami F1 guide including information on the views from each of the three stands, the seating chart, tips on seat selection and everything else you need to know about spectating here.
Marina grandstand Miami F1
There are three separate Marina grandstands at the Miami F1 race. For the 2022 race these were known as Marina grandstands 6, 7 and 8.
All three of these grandstands offer reserved seating in partially covered grandstands.
where are the Marina grandstands at the Miami F1?
The Marina grandstands at the Miami F1 are located on the outside of turns 7 and 8. This is a fairly slow part of the circuit where the cars are turning left for a long time before they accelerate hard down the long straight after the exit of Turn 8.
The three grandstands are angled towards each other to hug the outside of the circuit as closely as possible. They are directly across the track from the fake marina, situated on the inside of the circuit, which has a number of yachts ‘moored’ in it.
Marina grandstand Miami F1 seating chart
Below is a seating chart for each of the Marina grandstands at the Miami F1. As the chart shows, each stand is split in to a number of sections.
Grandstand 6 is split in to sections H1 to H4, grandstand 7 is the biggest of the three and has five sections named J1 to J5 and grandstand 8 is split into sections K1 to K4.
Each of the three Marina grandstands has 27 rows, with row 1 being lowest down at the front and row 27 being highest up at the back.
The seat numbers are higher the further left in the stands you sit (as you look at the track). So on the seating chart above, the seat numbers would increase as you go up towards the top of the image.
Seat numbers also start from zero in each section. The larger sections (K2, K3, J2, J3, J4, H2, H3) are 24 seats wide and the smaller sections (K1, K4, J1, J5, H1, H4) are 12 seats wide.
grandstand details
The Marina grandstands at the Miami F1 are partially covered. They have a roof which directly covers the back 13 rows, so rows 14 and up will be in the shade and out of the sun pretty much all of the time. The few rows just in front of that might catch a bit of shade as the sun changes position as well, but anything further forward than row 10 is likely to be completely unshaded.
There are no sides on the grandstand so if you are sat on the extreme ends you are still likely to be exposed to some of the elements.
All of the seating in the three Marina grandstands is individual chairs with seat backs, but there are no armrests or cupholders.
views from the Marina grandstands at the Miami GP
grandstand 6
Marina Grandstand 6 is the one closest to the exit of Turn 6. Due to the nature of the track and the size of the run-off area, it’s also the one which is furthest away from the circuit itself. However, its position means that it’s the only one of the three grandstands that gives you a view of Turn 6 as well as 7 and 8.
The further to the left of grandstand 6 you sit, the more you can see of Turn 6 which has its apex directly underneath the spectator bridge that crosses over the circuit.
As you look ahead and to your right from this grandstand you can see all of Turn 7 and just about catch the apex of Turn 8. You will lose the cars out of sight once they’ve hit the apex and start to accelerate.
The video below was filmed from the far right-hand side of Marina grandstand 6, section H1, somewhere around row 10.
grandstand 7
Being in the middle of the other two stands, Marina grandstand 7 doesn’t give you a view of Turn 6. Instead you have a full view of Turn 7 and a pretty good vantage point for Turn 8.
You can see the cars hit the apex for 8 and accelerate down the initial part of the following straight. You’ll just about lose them out of sight as they go under the first spectator bridge between turns 8 and 9.
The further to the right you sit in grandstand 7, the better view you’ll have of the cars exiting Turn 8. Section J1 is on the extreme right hand side and would give you the best vantage point for that.
The video below was filmed from the Miami Marina grandstand 7, section J1, row 24.
grandstand 8
Being the furthest around the circuit, grandstand 8 has no view at all of Turn 6. Instead, you have a great view of Turn 7 but an even better view of the entry, apex and exit of Turn 8.
Again the further to the right of this stand you sit, the better your view will be of the cars once they exit Turn 8. Sit in the extreme right hand sections, K1 or K2, and you can also just about follow the cars as they go through the little wiggle after Turn 8 whilst at full acceleration.
The first spectator bridge down that straight will block your view so you will only be able to follow them a little way, but better than nothing.
The image below was taken from Marina grandstand 8, section K2 row 18.
giant TVs
There is one giant TV screen visible from all three of the Marina grandstands. It’s located on the inside of the circuit just to the left of the Marina.
This screen can be seen in the image and two videos above, plus on the diagram below. You can see that it’s easiest to see from stand 6 as it’s closes, and from stand 8 it’s a little further away.
One thing to bear in mind is that if you’re sat in the top few rows of any of the three Marina grandstands, the roof is likely to block your view of the screen, especially if you are stood up during the race as a lot of people are.
Check out the second video above. That was filmed from the third row from the back and the top part of the giant TV screen is just cut off. I’d sit no higher than row 22 to make sure that doesn’t happen.
is the Marina grandstand Miami F1 a good place to sit?
Sitting in either of the three Marina grandstands to watch the Miami F1 is good if you want to be somewhere with a great atmosphere. The large grandstands will be absolutely packed and you’ll be surrounded by thousands of cheering fans.
There are a number of general concessions directly behind the stand, plus you’re only a short walk from the West Campus which has more food and drink vendors, the F1 Fanzone and the Hard Rock Stadium.
However, if you’re a die-hard racing fan and want to see some proper action then the Marina Grandstands at the Miami F1 are not the place for you. Turns 6, 7 and 8 normally see very little (if any) overtaking and the cars usually come around these corners single file, in prepartion for a good exit from Turn 8.
If you want to see some more overtaking, check out the Miami GP Beach grandstands which have a great view of Turn 11 at the end of one of the Miami F1 DRS zones where there’s always some overtaking.
If you did want to sit in the Marina grandstands, I’d try and get a seat as far right as possible in stand 8. Somewhere in section K1 to give you the best chance of seeing the cars after they’ve left turn 8, and probably around row 20 to make sure you’re in the shade. Go a few seats in from the end of the grandstand as the sides aren’t covered.
nearest entrance and parking
The nearest spectator entrance gate to the Marina grandstands is gate 5 if you’re coming from South of the circuit or gate 8 if you’re coming from the North / West B.
See our article on Miami F1 parking for more info on the nearest parking lots to this entrance gate.
other Miami F1 grandstands
Click the links below to read our viewing and seat guides for all of the other grandstands at the Miami GP:
be careful when booking your seats
Booking your seats online through the official MiamiGP website will use the Virtual Viewer; a 3D model of the circuit will put you in the spectator’s view of the seats you select.
However, the viewer isn’t very accurate. To demonstrate, let’s pick these seats on the back row of section J3.
That then gives us the fan view, but actually it’s put us four rows from the back.
So the view it’s showing isn’t completely accurate for the seats we selected. It seems that there’s just one point of view given for each grandstand section. Bear that in mind when choosing your Miami F1 seats.
