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Pietro Fittipaldi is racing royalty and the first Miami-born Fittipaldi heir. His recommendations for enjoying his hometown throughout F1 season and beyond.
Miami, famed for its beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, and active nightlife, has become one of the world’s most thrilling sports towns in recent years.
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Years of suggestions and discussions led to the inaugural Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome little over a year before Lionel Messi joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF.
1. He drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, co-owned by David Letterman, and Haas as a test and reserve driver.
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“It’s amazing because there’s so much passion for motorsport in Miami,” adds Haas test and reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi, who replaced Romain Grosjean for two races at the end of 2020. “Miami is unlike other American cities. It connects the US, Europe, and Central and South America. Many South Americans travel in to watch motor racing because they love it. Since everyone wants to visit Miami, it’s ideal for attracting visitors from everywhere.”
His grandfather Emerson was the 1972 and 1974 Formula One world champion, his first cousin Christian raced 43 times in the 1990s, and his uncle Max Papis drove seven times in 1995, making Fittipaldi a perfect candidate to discuss Miami’s Formula 1 race. The only Formula One driver born and reared in Miami is Fittipaldi, however Williams Racing’s Logan Sargeant was born 48km up the road in Fort Lauderdale.
“I was born and raised in Miami,” adds Fittipaldi. My parents met in Miami when my dad relocated from Brazil in the early 1990s; my mom grew up there. I was raised north of downtown Miami with my siblings.”
We asked Pietro Fittipaldi to help us find the greatest spots to visit in his exhilarating hometown, whether you’re there for the Grand Prix or to tan.
1. Best for daily life: Little Havana
Miami’s bright, colorful, and inviting Little Havana was named by exiled Cubans who moved there in the 1960s. Fittipaldi says walking along Little Havana’s Calle Ocho, seeing people play dominoes in Maximo Gomez Park, having a Cubano sandwich, sipping a Cuban espresso, and enjoying the music and environment is what makes Miami so special.
“I learned and now speak fluent Spanish because I lived in Miami,” he explains. “Cubanian, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Brazilian students abound. Spanish is your first language.” Little Havana is his first stop when he returns home. “You need to experience Calle Ocho and the little Havana neighbourhood for the Cuban coffee, Cuban food and culture,” adds.
Visit calleocho.com.
1444 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135.
Call (305) 859-2717
Instagram: @littlehavana.miami
2. Best cultural experience: Wynwood Walls
Visitors to Miami may enjoy the sun, fun, and beautiful beaches as well as its culture. The Wynwood Art District is highly recommended for art lovers. “For a family afternoon, people need to head out and visit the Wynwood neighbourhood,” adds Fittipaldi. It’s covered with local and international street art. The art areas are fantastic, with new eateries and much to do.”
Known for Wynwood Walls. This set of abandoned warehouses features paintings, drawings, and diverse colors, and the gardens have modern art sculptures by international artists. The Museum of Graffiti is next door.
The Institute of Contemporary Art and The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science are good choices for classic museums or air conditioning. The World Erotic Art Museum and Coral Castle, created by reclusive Latvian engineer Edward Leedskalnin over 28 years after his fiancée canceled their wedding one day before, are 40 minutes away by automobile.
Wynwood Walls website
2516 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Call (305) 576-3334
Official Instagram: @wynwoodwalls
3. Best neighborhood to stay: Downtown Miami
Choosing a Miami neighborhood is challenging due to its various neighborhoods.
Tip
While Fittipaldi thinks Miami can be visited year-round due to its many events, he recommends visiting between Thanksgiving and New Year.
Downtown Miami’s central location makes it easy to go to South Beach, Little Havana, and Wynwood for first-time tourists, according to Fittipaldi. “Downtown Miami is the cool spot that you want to go to,” he adds.
Between SE First Street and NE First Street, there are several wonderful restaurants and elegant martini bars. Sports enthusiasts may watch the Miami Heat, something Fittipaldi does whenever he’s in the city, downtown. I love the Miami Heat. I visited the Kaseya Center with my brother. He claims he grew up doing it. “I really love the basketball scene, and Miami has always had a great one.”
KaseyaCenter is online.
601 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132
Call (786) 777-1000
Instagram: @kaseyacenter
4. Top eateries: Joe’s Stone Crab
Joe’s Stone Crab, founded in 1913, is a Miami landmark, says Fittipaldi. “It’s Miami’s most famous restaurant,” he adds of the upscale seafood restaurant known for its chilled stone crab claw platters. Serve the stone crabs with hashed brown and creamed spinach and finish with a big piece of Key Lime pie, a Floridian delicacy.
Fittipaldi suggests Carbone’s, a nearby spinoff of the famous New York Italian restaurant, if Joe’s Stone Crab is full. Joe’s and Carbone’s are on Miami Beach’s South of Fifth, one of the nation’s most affluent neighborhoods.
Finally, Fittipaldi suggests his boyhood favorite, Brickell’s thin-crust Tutto Pizza. “It’s a classic Italian restaurant,” he adds. “We’d go every Sunday with family and friends.”
Website: josstonecrab.com
Address: 11 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Phone: (305) 673-0365
Instagram: @joesstonecrab
5. Best outdoor activity: Beaches
You can’t visit Miami without sunbathing on one of its famed beaches.
“Growing up, we were 30 minutes from the beach,” adds Fittipaldi. “My mother would have to push us there. I now appreciate having it.”
Miami’s most famous and popular beach is South Beach, which is 2 miles long and has lots of space. Key West, the Southernmost city in the US, is a 1-hour flight or 3.5-hour boat journey away for those with more leisure. In “It’s beautiful,” Fittipaldi remarks. “A lot of my friends go deep sea fishing off the coast of Florida.”
Opa-Locka’s Concours Club racing track is another option for race spectators before the Miami Grand Prix. One of the world’s most technologically equipped driving tracks, it’s an automobile country club with unique and opulent facilities. Just over 12 miles (20km) outside downtown Miami, Fittipaldi started racing here. “I’d go once a month at first,” he adds. “Then weekly, twice weekly, three times weekly. Seven or eight years old was when I began racing. Was addicted ever since.”
The Miami Beach Florida Government website
At Ocean Dr. and 15th St.
Instagram: @miamibeachnews
6. Best nightlife: Wynwood, Brickell, Downtown, South Beach, Little Havana
Fittipaldi frequents Wynwood for its raucous nightlife, especially near NW 24 St between NW 5th Ave and N Miami Street. He also notes that Brickell, Downtown Miami, South Beach, and Little Havana will provide the beverages, music, dancing, and excitement that make Miami a year-round attraction. Fittipaldi frequents The Sylvester, a chic cocktail bar on Miami Avenue with a retro vibe that evokes a Miami abuelita’s home room, complete with modern cocktails. It’s “pretty cool,” he says.
“Miami has grown so much,” Fittipaldi boasts. It’s huge. Every visit feels different. City growth continues. Always surprises me how bizarre life is.”
Site: https://www.thesylvesterbar.com/
3456 N Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Phone: (305) 364-5635
Instagram: @thesylvesterbar
