Every year I scribble down events I want to cover as a sports photographer in a notebook I keep. And for the past three years I’ve written down the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and this year was the year I was finally able to cover it. Excited was a mild way of putting it when I received the email saying my credential request had been approved.
I’ve photographed big events before, like the NHL Stanley Cup, but for some reason photographing the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix had me with some butterflies before I ever set foot out on the track. Here I am about to cover F1 and I was filled with a lot of nerves and excitement. It wasn’t until I scanned my badge at the Paddock area that all those nerves went away. I went into, it’s time to work mode.
The media area was located in the Hard Rock Stadium suites. They had rows of tables with open spots and lockers for us to store our gear. I ran into one of the Miami Herald photographers, Danny Varela, and he invited me into a suite he was sharing with his fellow Herald colleague, Matias Ocner. I’ve photographed many events with these two before and we all get along, joke around etc., so it was a no brainer to go hang out in the suite with them for the race. And in all honesty, a lot of the local sports photojournalists here in South Florida, we all get along and work well together.
After I setup my laptop and apply copious amounts on sunblock I head down to the Paddock area to wait for the drivers to arrive. I have no idea what to expect. I saw photographers waiting around and I was like this must be the place. I guess some of the drivers had arrived already, but the bigger names like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had yet to arrive.
As I’m sneakily reading credentials of the the photographers I see that a lot of them are the F1 photographers I follow on Instagram. These guys and gals travel all over the world, photographing every F1 event. So here I am a rookie among F1 legends.
Was it a little intimidating? Just a tad.
But once the drivers started to come in to the Paddock area and celebrities as well, the intimidation factor dissipated and I found my top gear.
I almost felt like the paparazzi when these drivers came in. Photographers rushing to get in front to get the photo. Other shouting their names so the drivers could look at them for a brief moment, hoping to capture the frame that would sell.
And it was in that moment and various others throughout the weekend that reinforced my belief that sports photographers have to be a master of so many genres of photography. Portraits, sports, landscapes, events etc. Sports photography isn’t just about shooting sports and Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix was a prime example of that.
F1 Practice and Qualifying
When it was time to head out to photograph practice or the qualifiers for both the sprint race and the actual race, F1 had vans that would transport us out to basically four areas of the track. We literally had like 10 minutes to drive out and get our spots. The drivers were going 80 on the track just to get us out there faster. I was interesting to say the least.
There were multiple practice and qualifying rounds so I used that opportunity to get familiar with the track and shoot from different vantage points. I wanted to see which locations would give me the best place for shots for the actual race day.
There were windows cut out in the fence along the barriers were we could shoot from. The first time I was in the window waiting for the cars to come speeding by was a moment I won’t forget. I could have extended my arm out of the window and the car was so close to me it would have torn it off. That was how close the cars were to us. I’m not talking feet, but mere inches.
The adrenaline rush from those moments can’t be quantified with words written on a blog post.
And if you think those cars are fast on TV, let me tell you how loud and fast they are inches from your camera.
Now have each session we had breaks so we would wait for the vans to pick us up and take us back to the Paddock area. I uploaded the photos, edited them, updated the Metadata and uploaded them up to the wire service I was working for. It was a surreal feeling, and always will be, knowing that my photos, once uploaded, were available for people worldwide to buy them.
F1 Garage and Grid
I was fortunate enough to be granted access to the Grid for both the Sprint race as well as the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. Not everyone got access and we had to apply prior to the events.
As I’m walking along pit line with all the garages, I was able to see the teams working on the cars. I could see the drivers talking to the team principles and the engineers. It was surreal just seeing all the technology that goes into an F1 race. The amount of data available for both the drivers and their teams was mind blowing.
And for me, the best part, was that we were mere feet away from the cars themselves. Just seeing them was something else.
On the grid I was able to walk about as the teams and drivers got ready for the races. The teams would push the cars to their respective starting positions on the grid and the drivers would get out and walk around.
There were tons on media on the grid. Live shots, interviews being given and teams working to get the cars prepared.
The grid was also where all the celebrities came out to mingle before the races. As I was traversing my way around the grid I had one eye open looking for celebs and the other out looking for drivers.
Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Race Day
You think with only the actual race, it would be an easy day, but it was by far one of the busiest. We were told that the drivers were going to walk the red carpet, along with celebrities and other notables, so we all gathered around our assigned spots. We waited and waited. A handful of drivers came, not through the red carpet, but walking through the Paddock area into their respective garages.
Celebrities did the same. The photographers were all jostling for positions trying for the cleanest angles. Every once and a while you would hear someone shout out a name and that celebrity would come sashaying through with their team and a gaggle of fans and admirers following closely looking for a selfie or autograph.
Some of the celebrities I spotted were Camila Cabello, will.i.am, Odell Beckham, Anthony Mackie as well as various other influencers and athletes.
My plan for the actual race was to shoot the first turn. I figured if a crash was going to occur that would be the most likely of spots.
Since I had grid access I didn’t have time to get to the transport buses so once we were told to leave the grid I ran down pitlane and out to where turn 1 was. The crash I was hoping for didn’t occur. It was close though. Sergio Perez nearly took out his teammate it appeared, but he was able to quickly get the car under control.
Now the plan was to shoot half the race and then start making my way to the podium to get a prime spot to photograph the celebrations. Every few laps I walk down further and further until I got to bridge I had to cross to begin to walk to the podium. There were a handful of other photographers with me as we all had the same plan and we all walked together.
And as we were walking there was a crash. Not a big one, just two cars, but it happened right in front of the window I was shooting from minutes earlier. Nothing I could do, but I wish I had stayed an extra 5 minutes.
We get to the podium and we watch the rest of the race from there. For the majority of the weekend Red Bull and Max Verstappen were the team to beat. Once the caution came out and Lando Norris took over and he won his first Formula 1 race as a driver.
Once the race ended there was about a 10 minute break before the drivers appeared on the podium. Once the drivers received their respective trophies, confetti fell and the champagne was spraying in the air aimlessly. The celebration was only for a brief time and then it was time to walk all the way back to the paddock.
Once we got back to the media section I spent the next couple of hours editing and uploading photos from the race. It was night time when I left and there were still tons of media there uploading.
Walking out the stadium one last time and towards my car, I was so grateful for the chance to cover the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. It was my first time and if I have my way it won’t be my last!
Click the link for my complete list of F1 racing photos
