Sporting greats: Lewis Hamilton joins Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Tom Brady for a photo at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix
(Picture: Twitter/@TomBrady)The inaugural edition of Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix saw sporting icons and celebrities alike flock to Florida in a star-studded A-list parade over the weekend.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen claimed his third victory of the season for Red Bull on the street track outside Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday evening, beating title rival Charles Leclerc after some late safety car drama to cut his championship lead to 19 points after five races in 2022.
F1 is making a renewed push to properly crack America with the huge success of Netflix documentary Drive to Survive sparking a surge of interest in the sport stateside.
In addition to the first Miami race, the United States Grand Prix takes place in Austin, Texas in October, while from 2023 a glitzy Las Vegas Grand Prix will also be added to the calendar.
And while grands prix - particularly across the Atlantic - always inevitably attract famous spectators from around the world of sport and beyond, Sunday’s occasion set a new bar for celebrity interest as the stars clamoured to be part of F1’s first return to sunny Florida since 1959.
The paddock was positively teeming with greats, with one picture in particular sending social media into a frenzy as former England captain David Beckham joined seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, NBA icon Michael Jordan and NFL superstar Tom Brady for a quick snap before the race.
But they were far from the only sporting royalty in attendance at the Miami International Autodrome, with Serena and Venus Williams, Michael Strahan, Dwyane Wade and Greg Norman among the litany of other legends trackside.
Former US First Lady Michelle Obama was also present in the Mercedes garage to watch the action, as were James Corden, Ashton Kutcher, Michael Douglas and Caitlyn Jenner, whose team Jenner Racing won the W Series season opener in Miami on Saturday.
The world of music was also well represented by the likes of Will.i.am, Pharrell, DJ Khaled, Calvin Harris, Bad Bunny, Maluma and Geri Horner, who has been married to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner since 2015.
