Ready to rev engines: Miami Grand Prix is second-most expensive ticket on Formula 1 calendar

WLRN Public Media | By Yvonne Bertucci zum Tobel

Published May 4, 2022 at 1:16 PM EDT

FILE - Fans watch as cars approach turn one during the F1 U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, on Oct. 24, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Formula 1 has announced a new five-year contract with the Circuit of the Americas to keep the United States Grand Prix at the Texas track through 2026. The 2022 U.S. Grand Prix is scheduled for Oct. 23 and has been on F1's official calendar without a formal contract. The track’s original 10-year deal expired with the 2021 race which drew more than 300,000. The contract also keeps at least two F1 races in the U.S. through 2026. The Miami Grand Prix starts a 10-year race contract in May. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, Pool) — Fans watch as cars approach turn one during the F1 U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, on Oct. 24, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Formula 1 has announced a new five-year contract with the Circuit of the Americas to keep the United States Grand Prix at the Texas track through 2026. The 2022 U.S. Grand Prix is scheduled for Oct. 23 and has been on F1's official calendar without a formal contract. The track’s original 10-year deal expired with the 2021 race which drew more than 300,000. The contract also keeps at least two F1 races in the U.S. through 2026. The Miami Grand Prix starts a 10-year race contract in May. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, Pool)

The roar of the engines. The pit stops. The speed. The thrill of Formula 1 returns to Florida May 6-8 for the first time since 1959.

Formula 1 Grand Prix, this weekend at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, is one of the hottest local events since the Super Bowl. And research shows tickets for the race are ranked second-most expensive on the F1 calendar.

Popularity has grown in the U.S. partly due to the Netflix documentary series, “Drive to Survive,” and streaming apps like F1 TV.

Vegasinsider.com, an online sports betting site, collected data on how much it costs to attend an F1 race. “We collected the data of how much it costs to go to the different races simply because we were interested — where is the most expensive and where is the cheapest to go. But, when we checked for the Miami Grand Prix there were no tickets available.” said Carla Rosocha, of vegasinsider.com.

It's true. The moment tickets were released online in November, only the words "sold out" appeared.

Vegasinsider.com got its data for Miami tickets from F1 destinations.com, a travel site. “The most expensive of the cheapest grandstand tickets was the one for Monaco, that was $700 and then it was Miami at $640,” Rosocha said.

So, the question remains: Where could someone buy these $640 tickets?

According to ESPN, grandstand tickets for Miami sold out on the first day, with 1,800 people each paying a $5,000 deposit for luxury hospitality.

Grandstand tickets are still available on websites like SeatGeek and StubHub, starting at $488 each. Ticketmaster has tickets ranging from $488 to $13,996 each — plus fees.

Campus day passes —with no seats — were released on April 16th. They’re available on F1miamigp.com. Prices are $300 for Friday, $400 for qualifying on Saturday and $500 for race day on Sunday.