How F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE gave young people a chance to explore motorsport opportunities in Miami

As part of our F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE initiatives, we gave young people a chance to re-imagine their futures within the motorsport industry and take an inside look at life within the paddock in Miami.

Centred around the three pillars of education, inspiration, and exploration, we partnered up South Florida Motorsports, organisers of the Miami Grand Prix, and Mission 44 to welcome students to a Community Night on the opening day of the race event.

Opening up the gates of the F1 ACADEMY paddock, 150 local young people ranging from elementary school age to college students from the Miami Gardens and South Florida community got up close to experience the world of racing with a behind-the-scenes tour. This included groups such as the SEEK Foundation (Seeking Education Empowers Knowledge), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Fab Lab and Girl Power Rocks, alongside college interns from the MIA Academy and attendees at the Miami Dade College.

Getting a glimpse inside the inner workings of the five team garages as they explored their surroundings, engineers and team personnel were on hand to share some words of wisdom and answer any burning questions from the students about their career journeys so far.

In addition, F1 ACADEMY drivers, including our 2023 Champion Marta García as well as ex-racing driver and F1 presenter Naomi Schiff, were on hand to meet and greet our guests — with lots of opportunities for the students to chat and get merch signed by their idols.

Rounding out the evening’s activities was the Business of F1 Community Workshop, with F1 ACADEMY Managing Director Susie Wolff joining Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur and Tyler Epp, President of the Miami Grand Prix, in exploring the nature of leadership and the wide array of career pathways within the industry.

Speaking at the event, Wolff said: “We want to give you guys the experience of understanding what opportunities there are in motorsport and to open your eyes to all the different ways this sport can give back and can open you to different possibilities.

“From my perspective, I was a racing driver for many years, then ran a team and there's this perception that it's a man's world. I can promise you, it's not a man's world anymore. It's changing and we are here to make sure that all of you understand the possibilities that exist in our sport. So, I am super happy to be here with all of you this evening. I hope you are going to enjoy and walk away inspired as to what's possible from the world of motorsport.”

READ MORE: Bringing the Miami motorsport community together: Presenting Sunset Pilates by F1 ACADEMY

Participants aged 16-23 took the opportunity to sit down with each as part of their small group sessions. Discussing her journey from becoming an F1 test driver to carving out a new direction afterwards, Wolff explained how her experiences shaped her, not only as a competitor, but also as a leader.

As part of the workshop, the students gained valuable insight into overcoming barriers and creative problem solving, alongside identifying and developing their leadership skills that they can continue to progress with going forward