Blazing Speeds and Celebrity Thrills: Inside the Exclusive $15,000 F1 Hot Lap Experience
Imagine buckling up in a high-performance race car, the adrenaline pumping through your veins as you're about to experience the same incredible speeds and hair-raising turns that motorsport">Formula 1 drivers face on the track. This isn't just a fantasy for the ultra-rich or the A-list celebrities; it's a heart-stopping reality offered at the Miami Grand Prix, where the lucky few can embark on the Pirelli Hot Lap experience. But what does tearing around a Formula 1 circuit at breakneck speeds actually feel like? And how does it compare to the feats of legendary drivers like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris? I took to the Miami International Autodrome in a 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse to find out.
First off, it's easy to underestimate the sheer exhilaration and fear intertwined in Formula 1 racing, especially when viewed through the dismissive lens of someone who's never felt the power of a 500-horsepower beast on wheels. Many believe they could handle a Formula 1 car, dismissing the sport as merely 'driving in circles.' Yet, there's a world of difference between kicking a soccer ball and handling a high-G-force beast on an F1 track.
For a cool $15,000, fans and a select group of journalists get the chance to inch as close as possible to the F1 driver's seat - a vantage point reserved for the elite of motorsports. The experience? Utterly indescribable with words alone, filled with moments of both awe and pure terror as you navigate a complex circuit punctuated by turns that test the limits of human and machine alike.
Strapped into the passenger seat alongside Ford factory driver Chris Mies, memories of my previous 180 miles per hour sprint around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an IndyCar danced in my head. Yet, as we approached the starting line, the reality set in: this was no ordinary ride. Chris assured me the Mustang Dark Horse, with its slightly lesser horsepower, offered a different kind of thrill - one rooted in the technical challenge and sheer physicality of Formula 1 racing.
The Miami International Autodrome, a sprawling 19-turn challenge woven around the Hard Rock Stadium, played host to its first F1 race in 2022, catapulted into the spotlight with a $60 million investment from billionaire Stephen Ross. Here, drivers like Lando Norris have battled forces up to 5G, a feat unfathomable to most. Our lap, reaching speeds of 146 miles per hour, might have been a 'tad' slower, but the forces exerted on the body and the split-second decisions required were as real as it gets.
Aston Martins and the piercing sound of engines at full throttle were part of the scenery, as Chris deftly maneuvered the track, giving me a taste of the intense competition and skill F1 drivers showcase. Each turn, especially the heart-stopping chicane at turn 15 where Verstappen famously collided with a pole, was a reminder of the fine line between control and chaos in this sport.
But it wasn't just journalists and racing aficionados who faced the track's exhilarating challenge. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Ed Sheeran also took their turns, their reactions ranging from stunned silence to outright disbelief at the sheer intensity of the experience. 'Oh my god. Holy s***t. I'm gonna cry,' Jenner reportedly exclaimed after her lap with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, a sentiment many of us can empathize with after such an adrenaline-fueled ride.
In the end, whether you emerge from the car in awe or in shock, the Pirelli Hot Lap experience offers an unparalleled glimpse into the world of Formula 1 - a spectacle of speed, skill, and endurance unlike any other. For those with the means (and the stomach) to take it on, it’s a bucket-list experience that brings you as close to the F1 cockpit as possible, short of becoming a professional driver yourself.