Why the Miami Grand Prix promises to be better than ever before

Heading into its fourth year on the Formula 1 calendar, the Miami Grand Prix is ready to continue evolving its fan experience — and 2025 is going to be its biggest year yet. 

PlanetF1.com spoke exclusively with Tyler Epp, President of the Miami Grand Prix, to find out just how the event plans to refine — not redefine — its identity.

Miami Grand Prix: Refining a recipe for success

“We have taken the approach that we are looking to refine, not re-define, our race.”

Those are the words guiding Tyler Epp, president of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, when it came time to get ready for the fourth running of a race that has become a can’t-miss event for fans looking to soak up the Florida sunshine.

The Grand Prix is working. In fact, it’s thriving, even in an era that sees F1 visit the United States three different times over the course of a single season.

There’s no sense in throwing out the book when it comes to planning the spectacle. It’s all about identifying what worked, then making it even better.

“We could probably spend hours discussing everything we’ve learned and still not cover it all, because we have certainly learned a lot in the past four years,” Epp told PlanetF1.com.

And perhaps the key indicator of how well this race’s template has performed is the fact that the biggest alterations haven’t been made to the fan-facing experience, but to the goings-on behind the scenes.

Epp explains, “I think the one thing that we’ve really tried to improve internally is our operational efficiency.

“It’s pretty unique to build an entire campus up each year and then take it down for the various events we hold at Hard Rock Stadium, and there’s so much that goes into that.

“But each year, we find ways to do it more efficiently, which allows us to increase what we’re capable of doing to improve the fan experience.”

Now, that may not sound like the most compelling response — but it also translates directly into a better experience for fans on the ground.

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Epp pointed to the “food and beverage experience” as a key example. In 2022, the temporary circuit was able to provide “34 different local and international restaurants” for fans; in 2025, that number has ballooned to 65.

“Not just are we offering more items to fans but our back-of-house efficiency in how we operate our temporary kitchens has improved,” Epp explained.

“There are numerous examples like that of ways we’ve enhanced the fan experience as a result of becoming more efficient in our campus operations each year, and that’s something we will continually work to improve on year after year.”

When it comes time to pinpoint those metrics for improvement, Epp noted that “we’re always looking to evolve and improve our race based on the feedback we hear from fans, teams, and the FIA,” which often change on a yearly basis.

The first three years of the event, those changes were pretty substantial; for example, the paddock was brought inside the Hard Rock Stadium after the inaugural race, which was critical in improving maneuverability for drivers, team personnel, and media.

Now, they center on “tweaks” like additional shade areas, more restaurants, and adjusted gate entry times — things that may not immediately come to mind as being integral to hosting a star-studded event but that become ever more important as the Grand Prix irons out its other wrinkles.

With a solid and efficient operational base, the Miami Grand Prix has now been able to get creative with things like ticketing.

“Probably the biggest introduction in 2025 is single-day grandstand tickets, which is something we’ve never done before,” Epp explained.

“We always try to listen to customer feedback and one thing they’ve told us is they wish there were more flexible ticketing options.

“So now we’re offering single-day grandstand tickets, which allows fans to still come and enjoy a day at the track based on their schedule.

“This makes attending a Formula 1 race more accessible and thus far, we’ve received really great feedback as 81% of our single-day grandstand buyers are first-time attendees.”

That’s huge: High ticket prices have remained one of Miami’s primary drawbacks; fans on a budget who may not have been able to afford the full weekend pass but who still wanted to have a taste of the Formula 1 experience were often particularly disappointed by the weekend-only option.

And as the numbers show, fans are interested. Folks who may not have been able to commit to a three-day expense can see what this F1 thing is all about — and given it’s a sprint race weekend, they’ll be guaranteed plenty of consequential on-track action no matter which day they attend.

But what of the folks who already sampled the Miami Grand Prix but who are looking for a different experience in 2025? Don’t worry — organizers thought of that, too.

Epp highlighted the Grand Prix’s flexible ticket options for the fans who want a three-day experience but may not want to commit to just one viewing space.

“We have a LuxePass ticket option, which allows fans to enjoy a different luxury hospitality space all three days of the race, we have a new grandstand membership option and we are also offering Sunday-only Campus Pass tickets this year.”

Oh, and for the folks who purchased a grandstand membership — something that accompanies any early weekend grandstand purchase — you can expect a little something extra: A Thursday night kick-off party featuring the Scuderia Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Many longtime F1 fans were skeptical of the Miami Grand Prix when it was introduced, with naysayers focusing on the faux yacht harbor, its high ticket prices, and the general fact that more than one race in America seemed like overkill for the European contingent.

Miami Grand Prix organizers tuned out the noise and tuned in to what the fans at the track were saying — and now, heading into its fourth year on the calendar, it’s ready to focus on moulding a strong foundation into the kind of Grand Prix that the rest of the F1 circuit wishes to emulate.

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