Donald Trump to be absent from F1 Miami Grand Prix after 2024 controversy

An image of US President Donald Trump in 2018 — Photo: © IMAGO

Miami Grand Prix

Donald Trump to be absent from Miami Grand Prix after 2024 controversy

The US president is no stranger to the Formula 1 paddock

By Kerry Violet.

Thursday 1 May 2025 19:00

Formula 1 heads to Miami this weekend for the sixth round of the 2025 championship where the sprint race format returns for the second time this year.

During the first sprint of the season in Shanghai, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton claimed a stunning first victory with Ferrari. Since his triumph in May, however, the 40-year-old has failed to improve on a P5 grand prix finish, with fans eagerly awaiting this weekend's 100km race to see if the F1 legend can pull out a similar feat in Miami.

Another question worth considering as the sport heads to the Sunshine State is whether the President of the United States and friend of McLaren Donald Trump will be attending the Miami Grand Prix.

Trump's history with F1

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The infamous media personality turned POTUS was the talk of the town in Miami during last year's event having been hosted by the McLaren garage in the F1 paddock.

His appearance at the track and presence in McLaren's hospitality sparked debate over whether F1 teams should host political figures, but nevertheless, his visit coincided with Lando Norris' first career victory.

"We were honoured that McLaren Racing was chosen as the representative of F1 which gave us the opportunity to showcase the world class engineering that we bring to motorsport."

As Norris returns to the track as a previous winner for the first time in his career he faces fierce competition from papaya team-mate Oscar Piastri, who has previously shown strong form in the sprint and currently leads the drivers' championship standings after a grand prix victory in Jeddah last time out. It seems Norris could use the luck of the President that some fans joked had helped him out this time last year!

GPFans have been told that there are currently no plans for the President to attend the Miami Grand Prix at this time.

When Trump was sworn in on January 20, 2025, he became the first president to return to office in over 130 years. In the aftermath of last year's election results, the head of F1's governing body, the FIA, congratulated Trump on his victory, with such figures in the sport clearly not against his presence on the grid.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari McLaren Donald Trump