LOOK: Tua Tagovailoa experiences the Miami Grand Prix

Tua Tagovailoa got to soak in one of the world’s biggest sporting events at the Miami Grand Prix

Tua Tagovailoa didn’t have to travel far to experience one of the world’s biggest sporting events, the Miami Grand Prix. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens is the host site for the Formula 1 race, which attracted stars from all over the globe.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback was spotted interacting with high-profile drivers, swapping jerseys and even throwing the football around.

Tagovailoa recently had his fifth-year option picked up by the Dolphins, which means he will be with the team through the 2024 season. This also means he’ll get to stay at home for the Miami Grand Prix for at least another year or two, unless and until the two agree on a contract extension.

Dolphins taking in scenes, helping out before the Miami Grand Prix

Players meet racers and help pit crews.

Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins play their home games, is no longer just a place for football events, as it’s hosting the Miami Grand Prix Formula One race for the second year.

Last year, the winner was Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, and a number of Dolphins were on site to watch the victory.

This year, the race is taking place on Sunday, and, once again, Dolphins are taking in the event and helping out before it begins. Some are even meeting the racers and practicing pit crew changes.

Here’s a look at everything that’s been going on in Miami Gardens in recent days:

Relive the Miami Grand Prix and Max Verstappen’s win with these awesome moments and photos

The Miami Grand Prix came and went, but let us help you relive it.

After a week (and really, years) of incredible hype building up Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, the event Sunday was largely a success with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen winning the inaugural race, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, respectively.

The masses descended on the Miami International Autodrome — the official name of the venue surrounding Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens — and that included tons of celebrities and other top athletes, like Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Tom Brady, among many, many others. It was the place to be Sunday, and the views were fantastic.

So if you missed the first-ever Miami GP or can’t believe it’s already over but still can’t get enough of it, relive the spectacular weekend with these awesome moments and photos.

Dolphins players and coaches took over the Miami Grand Prix

Everyone was hanging out at the track.

The Miami Dolphins hosted the first-ever Miami Grand Prix Formula One race this past weekend, and everyone gathered at the new track to see the spectacle.

The guest list of attendees boasted a number of players and coaches, including head coach Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa, Christian Wilkins, Jevon Holland, Terron Armstead and many more. Some members of the organization had roles in Sunday’s event, as Tagovailoa waved the checkered flag.

Social media was abuzz with all of the flair surrounding the race, and the Dolphins’ Twitter account was on top of every moment to share with the fanbase. Take a look at what was going on.

Martin Brundle thought Paolo Banchero was Patrick Mahomes in the most awkward F1 interview

The secondhand embarrassment is strong.

Stars across the sports world had turned out for Sunday’s Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, David Beckham, LeBron James — they were all in attendance. And while Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did make the trip to Miami, he wasn’t around for Sky Sports reporter Martin Brundle’s gridwalk.

The problem: Brundle didn’t seem to know that.

Brundle thought he scored an interview with Mahomes about the Miami Grand Prix experience, and he realized about midway through the conversation that he wasn’t talking to Mahomes. Brundle, instead, was interviewing Duke basketball star and potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Paolo Banchero. It was so awkward.

The secondhand embarrassment was absolutely real from that interview. And Brundle walked off with a “whatever” as if he had just interviewed a random 6-foot-10 guy. Banchero could be an NBA star one day, but he is decidedly not Patrick Mahomes.

Fans couldn’t look away from the cringeworthy sequence.

Formula One is the newest form of speed coming to Miami in 2022

The team and the event have some things in common.

They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but don’t tell that to folks in South Florida.

The age-old adage of patience and planning in building references the first empire this world had ever seen. The Romans expanded their reach thanks to the advent of roads, connecting their vast empire.

When it comes to roads and speed, let’s fast forward to modern times, where both a literal and figurative racetrack have been constructed in Miami.

On Sunday, Miami Gardens and the Eden of Hard Rock Stadium convert to a Formula-1 racetrack. The Miami Grand Prix has brought another element to the vast entertainment landscape of what the business end of the Miami Dolphins organization brings to sport and community.

Just a week following the NFL draft, and months into an already successful offseason, the Dolphins organization has ironically taken the same blueprints from the business side of the building.

Bring in speed.

Forget patience and planning and the dreaded word “rebuild.” The Dolphins have changed their identity, virtually overnight following building blocks such as Tyreek Hill, Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and even newly drafted linebacker Channing Tindall. The three veteran acquisitions are offensive speedsters who could take the ball to the finish line at any given moment.

Tindall, who comes from the defending collegiate national champion Georgia Bulldogs, has blazing speed of his own. The inside linebacker who’s expected to be an immediate impact player ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. There’s no question why the Dolphins were kicking the tires on him the entire draft process.

Whether it’s on offense or defense, the Dolphins’ garage is full of vehicles to drive them to success, and most tend to do so quickly. Throw in second-year, record-breaking receiver Jaylen Waddle and tight end Mike Gesicki in the pole position as an offensive veteran and team leader.

Like any championship organization, the team or car is only as good as the full crew. Drivers on Sunday will have faith in their pit crew, as it truly takes a small army to win an event like the Miami Grand Prix.

The same is to be said about football and what will be featured at Hard Rock Stadium come September. New coach Mike McDaniel and his pit crew of assistant coaches and coordinators seem to work in harmony with that business end of things, in this case, general manager Chris Grier and master salary-capper, Brandon Shore.

Football isn’t just about a quarterback as much as an F1 race is about one driver. Sure, the praise and blame may be showered upon them, but it’s a full unit that must work in coordination for trophies to be lifted.

Much like a winner will be crowned on Sunday following the Miami Grand Prix, the Dolphins have started their race like all other NFL teams to attempt to reach the ultimate finish line.

As for fans of all things Dolphins, and South Florida sports, including tomorrow’s race, excitement is at an all-time high. The wait’s nearly over, and the time seems to be now.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

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Everything you need to know about F1’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix

What you want and need to know about this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

After years of anticipation with many Formula 1 fans hoping this weekend would eventually materialize, F1 is taking on Miami for the first time with Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The race will be on a purpose-built circuit around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and, hopefully, it will live up to all the hype and produce captivating racing, in addition to some awesome views.

But because the Miami Grand Prix is new to the schedule this year — it joins the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin as the only other American F1 race, currently, before Las Vegas is added to the mix in 2023 — it might be helpful to know a few fast facts about event and venue.

So before the on-track action gets going, here’s what you want and need to know about the Miami Grand Prix.

Why the Miami Grand Prix ended up with a fake marina and dry-docked yachts

Yes, a fake marina.

Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix — one of Formula 1’s two American races currently on the schedule — is all about the glitz and glam and flashy, Miami vibes. And judging from some early views of the 3.36-mile, 19-turn circuit built around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, it certainly has the potential to live up to the hype — especially if the racing is good.

One particular element of the venue, however, leaves quite a bit to be desired: the fake marina.

Eyeing the idea of an American version of the famed and glamorous Monaco Grand Prix, Miami organizers originally hoped for a waterfront venue with a circuit in the downtown area and over a bridge to the Port of Miami, as the Miami Herald reported last month. But when that plan didn’t work out and the race ended up being around Hard Rock Stadium, there was still an attempt at creating a waterfront atmosphere.

Enter The Yachts at MIA Marina, a faux harbor/beach area with, obviously, yachts. More from the Miami Herald:

It won’t be as picturesque as it would have been along the turquoise bay, with gorgeous aerial camera views of cruise ships, the skyline and fans watching from yachts and sailboats. But [Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium owner Stephen] Ross’ group is doing its best to replicate a waterfront ambiance at the landlocked venue.

In the center of the track, near turns 11, 12 and 13, will be a 24,000 square-foot beach club zone featuring a resort-style pool with luxury cabanas, bars and DJs playing music.

And that’s not all! A Monaco-inspired faux marina “Yacht Club” is being constructed — complete with about a dozen dry-docked yachts — on the infield of turns 6, 7 and 8. Some race patrons paid $38,000 for a four-person “Yacht Club” package, $19,000 for a two-person pass and $9,500 for a single.

The marina construction in progress in January 2022. (Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix)
The Yachts at MIA Marina, taken Sunday, May 1, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Hiro Ueno/F1 Miami Grand Prix)

The discovery of the fake marina then led to this funny bit from Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, pointing out the absurdity of the situation and hilariously “swimming” in the “water.”

Joking that the “sea breeze is in my hair” — the venue is about 10 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean — Slater said: “It’s such a hot day today, I think I might take a jump into the cool… water.”

His bit about “enhanced reality” — welcomed by many F1 fans with more jokes — then continued as he attempted a little backstroke on the flat, waterless ground.

So no matter how real the fake marina will look on TV, just remember, it’s not.

Following two practices on Friday and another Saturday, qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix is set for noon ET Saturday. The race is scheduled for Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET.

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