F1 and Messi, a magnet for Latin Americans this weekend in Miami

There was a time when you had to have a race in your own country to see a Formula 1 grand prix, a feat that only two major countries in Latin America were lucky enough to achieve in the early days of the championship.

Argentina hosted a race for most of the 1950s, allowing locals to enjoy the exploits of the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and José Froilán González. When the South American nation lost its place on the calendar in the 1960s, the Mexican Grand Prix took up the baton for the Latin American region, hosting a race at the now famous Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez since 1963.

Now, while Mexico continues to host F1 along with Brazil late in the season, there’s a third race of sorts for Latinos who want to see F1 first-hand: the Miami Grand Prix.

The city is already a magnet that attracts millions of visitors from Latin America every year because of its proximity, low airfares and strong cultural ties that make Mexicans, Argentines and everyone in between feel at home, but in recent years two other reasons have come together: the arrival of F1 and the arrival of football’s biggest star at its brightest moment.

The inaugural Miami Grand Prix in 2022 was followed in mid-2023 by the stunning signing of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, fresh from leading Argentina to a historic World Cup victory in Qatar in late 2022.

The long-awaited arrival of Formula 1 in the Sunshine State was largely supported by Latin Americans, both those who live in the area – it has one of the largest Latino communities in the United States – and those who saw it as an opportunity to travel and see F1 in the flesh in one of the most exciting and spectacular scenarios of the season.

Sergio Perez has also played a major role. The Mexican has been the driving force behind Formula One’s growing Latino fan base since he joined the sport in 2011, and even more so during his tenure at Red Bull, as evidenced by the 305 per cent year-on-year increase in merchandise sales in 2022.

Checo has undoubtedly contributed to thousands of Mexicans and Latinos from across the region making the Miami International Autodrome their home race, a big part of the 250,000+ fans that have attended the race each year from 2022, and the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Miami Grand Prix has brought into the local economy.

Almost at the same time, Messi Mania has transformed Miami. For a country where football – or soccer to the locals – isn’t even close to being the main sport, Inter’s Messi quickly proved an explosive combination that drew Latinos to see the Argentine superstar do what he does best with a ball at his feet.

After all, it was the first time in Messi’s career that he was playing regularly outside of Europe, so the chance to see him in a much more familiar setting made the trip to Vice City a no-brainer for those in Latin America.

This weekend, F1 and Messi will once again come together and Miami will be the ‘meeting place’ for Latin Americans looking to enjoy two world-class sporting events.

The Miami Grand Prix has proved to be a fan favourite in its three years on the F1 calendar, and the fact that it is a sprint weekend will only add spice to a season that has already seen a tight championship battle between McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

And half an hour’s drive from the Hard Rock Stadium, the epicentre of F1 in Miami, the Chase Stadium will be the backdrop for a clash between Inter Miami and New York Red Bulls on Saturday, meaning you can get a real buzz out of the sprint race and qualifying before heading to Fort Lauderdale to see Messi. Rest assured, that will be the master plan for many Latin Americans this weekend.

Watch this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix HERE with Sergio ‘Checho’ Rodriguez, Jessy Ochoa, Rodolfo Cortes.

Both shows live for Qualifying (Saturday) and Race (Sunday). Chat with the hosts and communicate, engage in polls and discussion, and test your motorsports knowledge in trivia for the chance to win exclusive F1 Miami merch! Enjoy a new way to follow all the action.