McLaren take F1 to the fans with Miami street show as 1,000th race looms

McLaren showed off their Formula One heritage with a deafening display of title-winning cars driven by champions past and present on the streets of Miami on Wednesday.

Reigning champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri joined double champions Mika Hakkinen and Emerson Fittipaldi in thrilling the fans ahead of what would have been a 1,000th grand prix celebration but for conflict in the Middle East.

The cancellation of April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as a result of the Iran war means the milestone, achieved previously only by Ferrari, will now be marked officially in Monaco in June – the race where the team founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren debuted in 1966.

“We were meant, obviously, to celebrate it here,” Norris told Reuters before taking his 2025 car for a spin – literally – at Regatta Harbour in the Florida city’s historic Coconut Grove area.

“It’s nice that I’ve played a small part in that but today is also a day where you get to see all the cars, the history, the drivers that have driven for McLaren,” added the Briton. “It’s a big milestone and I’m very proud of it.”

FITTIPALDI, 79, STILL AT THE WHEEL

Brazilian Fittipaldi, McLaren’s first champion in 1974 and now 79-years-old, drove a V8-engined McLaren M23 similar to the one that took the late James Hunt to the 1976 crown.

“I was the first one, I made a small part of McLaren history but then McLaren has a huge history and I’m very proud to be here,” Fittipaldi, who won his first title with Lotus in 1972, told Reuters.

Hakkinen, the 1998 and 1999 champion, shook the ground with his V10-powered MP4-14 while Bruno Senna, nephew of Brazil’s late triple champion Ayrton, drove his uncle’s MP4/6 with its ear-splitting V12.

Brazilian Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, also drove an Arrow McLaren IndyCar.

“To just be alongside them, even just to be able to talk to them is really cool,” said Piastri.

Norris and Piastri, driving Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title-winner, then took to the track together to salute the cheering throng before interviews on a stage.

“It was nice to see so many people and it was just good to have a bit of fun,” said Norris. “Normally we have to be all serious and drive properly … we don’t get to just go out and do (tyre) burnouts and stuff.

“I won the championship last year and wasn’t allowed to do any burnouts. So it was nice to just let loose and have a nice day out.”

McLaren have won the last two Miami Grands Prix — Piastri last year and Norris in 2024 — and Sunday could complete a hat-trick although Mercedes have been dominant since the start of a new engine and rules era.

The Australian was cautious in offering any prediction, however, ahead of a weekend that could also see some thunderstorms and that will also be the first test of the rules since they were tweaked.

“I think last year, and even 2024, we had a really big advantage around a place like this and this year we don’t have that so we’ll have to wait and see,” said Piastri.

“I think it’s going to be a weekend full of changes and trying to get on top of things better than everybody else. And if we can do that then there’s still going to be opportunities to finish higher than maybe where you should.”