The Places Behind The Races: Miami Edition

Dive into Miami's pop culture in the run up to the Formula 1 Grand Prix

Apr 30, 2025

Welcome or welcome back to ‘Places Behind the Races’ :) Throughout the 2025 season, Formula 1 will be visiting 24 different locations across 21 different countries. The global expanse of the sport is one of its best features, but I find that we don’t often talk about the places behind the races. With that in mind, I thought I would delve into everything fun and trending in the many locations that Formula 1 visits. From events and national holidays to movies and food trends, I have you covered. So, let’s get to it!

Welcome to the 305, aka the land of Mr Worldwide.

Events & Holidays

Miami Museum Month – Throughout May, all participating Museums in Miami will have buy one get one free ticket offers for one-off purchases or entrance to all participating museums for the month when you buy a membership. Some of the participating museums include: Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Miami Science Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the World Erotic Art Museum…. anywayyyyy

Memorial Day / Weekend – This is a federal holiday held on the last Monday in May. The day is dedicated to mourning and honouring the US armed forces members who died while serving. The day is often extended to its nearest weekend and big celebrations are held across the US. In Miami, Hyundai are hosting a free ‘Air & Sea’ show where they will be showcasing the men, women, technology, and equipment from all six branches of the United States Military.

Top 10 Songs This Week (Billboard Hot 100)

Luther – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Die With A Smile – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
Ordinary – Alex Warren
Nokia – Drake
A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey
Pink Pony Club – Chappell Roan
I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen & Post Malone
I Ain’t Coming Back – Morgan Wallen & Post Malone
Lose Control – Teddy Swims
Beautiful Things – Benson Boone

Top 10 Shows This Week (Netflix):

Ransom Canyon - Secrets, love and lies intertwine as rancher Staten Kirkland follows his heart, fights to protect his land and investigates a painful personal loss.
Black Mirror (S7) - Nurture AI life forms, disrupt reality and step inside a remastered classic film in this genre-bending season of the mind-melting anthology series.
Raw: 2025 - Roman Reigns returns to Raw with WrestleMania 41 just days away. AJ Styles clashes with Karrion Kross.
Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing - In this eye-opening documentary exposé, teens and parents reveal disturbing accounts of abuse and exploitation within the world of child influencers.
The Glass Dome - When her friend's daughter goes missing, criminologist Lejla joins the search — and must confront the haunting trauma of her own childhood abduction.
The Gardener - Elmer's mother used his lack of feelings to turn him into a hitman. But when he falls for his next victim, their cover as calm local gardeners wavers.
Young Sheldon (S7) - Sheldon's studies in Germany yield opportunities far away from Texas, and the Cooper family becomes closer in the face of unexpected tragedy.
Ms. Rachel - Come learn, play, sing and grow with Ms. Rachel in a fun series of interactive lessons teaching letters, numbers, colors, shapes — and so much more!
Love on the Spectrum (S3) - The search for true love continues as newcomers and returning favorites navigate the ups and downs of dating on the autism spectrum.
North of the North - Determined to forge her own path in her small Arctic town, Siaja, a newly single young mom, takes bold risks in her career and love life.

Top 5 Movies This Week (Netflix)

iHostage - When a gunman enters an Apple Store in the heart of Amsterdam, the police face a delicate challenge to resolve the standoff. Inspired by true events.
Life of Something Like It - Shocked by a psychic's reading, a star reporter who thrives on superficial success must reevaluate her priorities — and her future.
Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror - This gripping documentary revisits the shocking 1995 bombing of an Oklahoma City federal building, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history.
Despicable Me 4 - With the arrival of a new baby, Gru's life is great — until an old rival comes back for revenge and forces Gru to uproot his family and Minions!
The Croods - A disaster sends a caveman and his sheltered family on an unexpected journey into a world that turns out to be full of amazing new discoveries.

Top 5 Movies This Week (Box Office)

Sinners - Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Star Wars Ep.III: Revenge of the Sith - It has been three years since the Clone Wars began. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker rescue Chancellor Palpatine from General Grievous, the commander of the droid armies, but Grievous escapes. Suspicions are raised within the Jedi Council concerning Chancellor Palpatine, with whom Anakin has formed a bond. Asked to spy on the chancellor, and full of bitterness toward the Jedi Council, Anakin embraces the Dark Side.
The Accountant 2 - Forensic accountant Christian Wolff teams up with his estranged but highly lethal brother to track down mysterious assassins.
A Minecraft Movie - A mysterious portal pulls four misfits into the Overworld, a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master the terrain while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected crafter named Steve.
Until Dawn - One year after her sister disappeared, Clover and her friends head to the remote valley where she vanished to search for answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they soon encounter a masked killer who murders them one by one. However, when they mysteriously wake up at the beginning of the same night, they're forced to relive the terror over and over again.

Popular Food

Fritanga – In the context of food, "fritanga" refers to a traditional Colombian dish, often a weekend lunch, that is a varied mix of fried and grilled meats, potatoes, and other ingredients, served in a basket and eaten with your hands.

Cuban Sandwich - A Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that likely originated in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Tampa or Key West, two early Cuban immigrant communities in Florida centered on the cigar industry. Later on, Cuban exiles and expatriates brought it to Miami, where it is also very popular.

Conch Fritters - Description. The meat of a conch is minced before cooking to tenderize it. The mince is then mixed into a seasoned fritter batter made of cornmeal, chopped vegetables, typically including onions, bell peppers, celery and jalapeños. Lemon juice, tomato paste, black pepper and creole seasoning are commonly used.

Frita - A "frita" refers to a Cuban-style hamburger consisting of a seasoned ground beef and pork patty, often with chorizo, topped with sauteed onions, and served on a Cuban bread roll with shoestring or julienned potato fries.

Roti - Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, known as gehu ka atta, combined into a dough with added water.

First of all, I’m very sorry about the lack of posts for a while! I recently got a second job so a lot of my free time has been taken up and it is taking a little while to figure out my new routine, however… IT’S RACE WEEK AGAIN!

I’m so excited to see how this weekend turns out because while Miami might not be the best track for racing, it sure brings the fun to F1! There are rumours of rain on race day too, which could bring a little spice to the race itself, especially with a whole bunch of rookies who have essentially no experience on this track outside of the sim and the beginnings of an extremely interesting WDC being built.

F1 Academy will also be back at the Miami International Autodrome this weekend. With four different winners in their four races of the season so far, it is shaping up to be an extremely competitive fight for the championship in this series, too. Ava Dobson will also be joining the grid as the Wild Card entry, coming off the back of two points finishes in GB4 recently.

I feel like this post gives true insight into the different people, interests and aspects of life that blend to form what we know as Miami. From team Kendrick vibes to Memorial Day weekend to museum visits and fries in burgers, Miami has what you need – it is the city that keeps the roof blazing after all ;)