‘Ace Ventura’ helmets and climate-change statements: How F1 drivers are channeling Miami
READ MORE
Miami Grand Prix weekend
The inaugural Miami Grand Prix takes place Sunday, May 8 at the Hard Rock Stadium site in Miami Gardens.
Expand All
On stage at the Miami Grand Prix’s opening party Wednesday, Sebastian Vettel welcomed Formula One to South Florida with a decidedly unfestive message plastered across his chest.
“MIAMI 2060,” his T-shirt read, “1ST GRAND PRIX UNDER WATER.”
It’s a week when Miami is trying to show off the best sides of itself — the pool parties, the yacht clubs, the internationally influenced culture, and the glitz and glamour of Miami Beach — and Vettel is enjoying his time, too, but he also didn’t want to waste a chance to make a statement about climate change in a place where it could become an increasingly pressing matter in the years ahead. On Thursday, he followed it up by meeting with local activists as part of his team’s partnership with Cognizant, an American technology company.
“I was able to meet with people from very different backgrounds, but all with a common vision when it comes to the future,” said Vettel, who has been an outspoken climate-change activist. “I’ve addressed, a little bit, the concerns with regards to what’s happening in South Florida in the future, so it was nice to have a chat with people who knew exactly what they’re talking about.”
Vettel said he does not consider the shirt to be a political message.
“I don’t want to be political. I think it’s a very human message,” he said. “It’s great that we have a race here. There’s great people here and it’s very exciting, the coming weekend, but I find it alarming. And I’m surprised that we go to a place that is not going to be there in 50 years time, and everybody acts and carries on as business as usual. That’s very disturbing to me.”
Formula One’s first ever trip to Miami-Dade County gave drives across the sport a chance to inject a little bit of Florida into their personality for the weekend, whether it was the climate activism of Vettel or something more lighthearted, like McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo’s helmet inspired by “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”
On Monday, Mercedes-Benz’s George Russell sat courtside at FTX Arena to watch the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. On Tuesday, Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc hung out on the field at loanDepot park before the Miami Marlins faced the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Red Bull Racing drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez threw out the first pitch in Miami on Wednesday.
Drivers have visited schools — Vettel stopped by ’ Carol City Middle School on Wednesday and said it was “very interesting seeing a lot of young boys and girls from maybe a neighborhood that is quite far away from Formula One” — and spent time on the beach. For a full week, they’ve lived the Miami lifestyle in all the various ways they can.
Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly ate dinner with Michael Jordan on Wednesday and called it “by far the best dinner I’ve ever had,” while Mercedes-Benz’s Lewis Hamilton played a round of golf with Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar Tom Brady.
Both drivers referred to the Miami Grand Prix as the “Super Bowl” of Formula One and celebrities were already milling about ahead of the first practice sessions Friday with James Corden, the host of “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” strolling around near the garages while decked out in McLaren gear.
Ricciardo, however, found the most clever way to nod to the venue of the inaugural Miami GP. The course circles Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, and one of Ricciardo’s favorite movies happens to be “Ace Ventura,” which prominently features Miami’s NFL team, as the titular character is tasked with tracking down the Dolphins’ abducted animal mascot.
On the back of the helmet is the old-school Miami logo from the 1990s with, “MISSING SNOWFLAKE,” typed above it, in reference to the kidnapped mascot. On the sides are two cartoonish pictures of Ricciardo’s head shot on a badge and the phrase, “DANIEL RICCIARDO PET DETECTIVE.” The helmet is colored in flowers — a reference to the shirts the titular character, played by Jim Carrey, wears in the movie.
“It was one of the first movies I loved and I just pretty much remember the movie off by heart,” Ricciardo said. “It’s just something I am very passionate about.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 5:57 PM.
