Lando Norris wins pole for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race

American born

Colton Herta is not the only American in the junior F2 series racing at Miami this weekend – also in the field is Sebastian Montoya, who was born and raised in this city before moving to Europe to pursue his racing career. The 21-year-old is the son of former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. He races under the Colombian flag, but has American citizenship by birthright. He is thrilled to be racing in his former hometown. “It’s really emotional because I grew up here. I think the first time I drove a go-kart was 15 minutes away,” Montoya said. “So to see how far it’s actually come is amazing and obviously I dreamed of hopefully one day racing here in F1. I didn’t expect to be here in F2, but it’s a really pleasant surprise.”

Crossovers everywhere

Antonelli posed on top of the shoulders of Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon clutched a football as he danced near a small obstacle course. Inter Miami veteran Luis Suarez took turns kicking soccer balls with Charles Leclerc. There were all kinds of crossovers at the Miami Grand Prix — where entertainment, culture and sports collide each year in Miami Gardens, Florida. Players from the Dolphins, who play their regular season at Hard Rock Stadium, on the Miami International Autodrome's campus drove mini F1 race cars around a small course, while drivers like Antonelli tried a series of football obstacles. “I feel great,” Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers said in his mini car, “Couldn't be more prepared for this scenario.”

Paddock upgrade

The Miami Grand Prix announced Friday that it is adding a 115,000 square foot extension to its Paddock Club building at the Miami International Autodrome, set to be ready in time for the 2027 race. The new structure, which will extend to Turn 1, will be able to hold more than 9,000 attendees and includes 300,000 square feet of space, making it one of the largest paddock clubs in Formula 1. “The expansion of our Paddock Club is another example of innovation and investment in our event and growing Formula 1 in the United States,” said Tom Garfinkel, managing partner of the Miami Grand Prix. "We wanted to not only make the Paddock Club bigger to meet demand, but differentiate the experience into something new and unique.” \\\_ AP auto racing: