Donald Trump has arrived at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium for Sunday’s F1 race as he takes a break from his high-profile hush-money trial in New York.
The security surrounding the event in Florida has been significantly increased following the former US President’s decision to attend the sixth round of the F1 campaign.
The 77-year-old, currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying documents to cover up hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, headed to the McLaren garage to meet the British team’s CEO Zak Brown, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
After Trump’s visit, McLaren released a statement: “McLaren is a non-political organisation however we recognise and respect the office of President of the United States so when the request was made to visit our garage on race day we accepted alongside the president of the FIA and the CEO’s of Liberty Media and Formula 1.
“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.
McLaren went on to win the race with Lando Norris claiming his first victory in Formula 1. Trump congratulated Norris following the grand prix.
Prospective Republican candidate Trump had reportedly planned to use a suite in the exclusive paddock club here to host a political fundraiser.
But speaking prior to Sunday’s race, Tom Garfinkel, CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, said: “There will not be any fundraising at the event from anybody.
“The event is about bringing people together and we welcome everybody.
“We don’t control people’s guest lists when they buy a suite.
“We want everyone to enjoy the race, and we want this to be a great environment and not something that becomes political or is used for commercial or political purposes.”
Retired NFL star Tom Brady, World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, Los Angeles Lakers’ giant Lebron James and singer Shakira attended the race.
Additional reporting by PA
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
