Miami Grand Prix cheat sheet: Cheap tickets and who to root for

Wake up and smell the motor oil. Formula 1 weekend kicks off Friday ahead of Sunday's Miami Grand Prix.

Why it matters: F1 surged in popularity after the release of the Netflix docuseries "Drive to Survive" in 2019, and the league is quickly expanding its U.S. footprint.

• The inaugural Miami GP was last year and Las Vegas will host a race in November.

With several pop-up events and watch parties, it will be hard to ignore the action. Here are a few pointers to help you fake your fandom this weekend:

How it works: Twenty drivers race 57 laps around Hard Rock Stadium, navigating sharp turns and top-speed straightaways.

• F1 cars can reach speeds of up to 235 mph and attack corners at over 100 mph. Drivers endure up to 6 G-forces on turns — twice the amount an astronaut feels during a rocket launch.
• Drivers practice Friday, run timed laps Saturday to set the starting lineup and then race Sunday at 3:30pm on ESPN.

Hometown driver: For the first time since 2015, F1 has an American driver: Fort Lauderdale native Logan Sargeant.

• He's a die-hard Heat and Dolphins fan who loves Publix lemonade, Eminem and "Wolf of Wall Street."
• The Williams Racing rookie will be competing in his first Miami GP in front of his home crowd. Cheer on No. 2 in blue!

Red Bull domination: Reigning F1 championship team Red Bull has won every race so far this season.

• The team is led by two-time F1 champ and last year's Miami GP winner Max Verstappen, whose rivalry with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has become polarizing. Pick a side!

Watch the start: If you thought Miami traffic couldn't get worse, just wait for the pileup on Turn 1.

• The first turn is a great opportunity for drivers to move up in the field — but only if they don't crash into each other. Scream "Lights out and away we go" at the start.

If you go: Grandstand ticket prices have gone down recently: the cheapest 3-day pass we saw yesterday was $443.

• Tickets to explore the race campus start at $100.
• The cheapest option is to go to today's practice. You can see the cars up close and explore the campus for $35.

Go deeper: Behind-the-scenes documentary "Against the Clock" shows how last year's race came together.