Aston Martin F1 Team Built a Race Weekend Bigger Than Results Alone

There was a moment during Aston Martin F1 Team's Celsius Run Club in Miami when the activation's purpose became clear. Yes, there was branded merch, a DJ, and the natural UGC-style TikToks being captured, but hundreds of fans didn't show up because they wanted to beat their best 5K time.

They were there because Formula 1, especially in America, has become an occasion for people to gather. To find community. Some of them were hardcore fans, donning their #14, Fernando Alonso hats. Some couldn't tell you what a formation lap is. But it didn't matter.

The idea that modern fandom exists on a spectrum shaped Aston Martin's approach to its on-the-ground presence. Their I/AM fan platform was conceptualized into real-life experiences across the Miami Grand Prix weekend.

Glenfiddich and CoinPayments at Aston Martin Residences | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

From The Stilt House at the Miami Fan Fest to the Celsius Run Club. From Glenfiddich hospitality at the Aston Martin Residences to an after party at the Palm Tree Club and even a Glenfiddich activation inside the race grounds itself. The team spent race week building different entry points into the Aston Martin F1 Team culture where all are welcome.

According to Aston Martin F1 Team's Chief Marketing Officer, Rob Bloom, that approach wasn’t accidental.

Formula 1 Is For Everyone

"We have a fundamental belief that F1 is for everyone. So over the last 15 years, we've seen the sport grow hugely on a global basis. It was around 68% growth in fan base since 2018. It's brought in a whole new demographic of fans. In the States, in particular, younger, female fans, and the sport is so much better for it."
Rob Bloom, CMO, Aston Martin F1

During the Miami Grand Prix weekend, that exact philosophy became the backbone of their marketing and partnership strategy.

IAM Pilates at Stilt House | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

At the Miami Fan Fest, Aston Martin's Stilt House acted less like a traditional sponsor installation and more like a community hub. Sat amongst various sponsors and team activations, they hosted Pilates sessions, workouts with Kendall Toole, and a casual hangout space built for fans who may have wanted race-week energy without necessarily spending all day at the circuit.

Similarly, Aston Martin and Celsius hosted a 5K through Downtown Miami, and later transformed Palm Tree Club into a late-night afterparty headlined by The Martinez Brothers. All while at the Aston Martin Residences, Glenfiddich and CoinPayments partnered on an "After Dark" upscale hospitality experience for guests, partners, and fans in a more intimate, luxury setting.

On paper, those are wildly different experiences. That analysis held true in attending them, but Aston Martin viewed them as serving the same purpose.

"F1's one of the richest, most multi-layered sports in the world. The more that we listen to our fans, and the more that we meet our fans, we understand that the experiences that they crave from the sport are diverse. Not just about motorsport, but also tapping into their other interests as well.”
Rob Bloom, CMO, Aston Martin F1

That distinction matters because Formula 1’s fanbase no longer behaves the way it did even five years ago. The stereotypical image of the "hardcore fan" has been replaced by something far broader and more culturally relevant.

The modern F1 fan might consume race highlights on TikTok, follow drivers, teams, or creators for personality-driven content, attend a wellness event tied to a team partner, or interact with the sport entirely through lifestyle culture. F1 Fandom is no longer just the fan who sits through every practice session and race broadcast.

Bloom pushed back on the idea that one type of fandom matters more than another.

"A hardcore fan is traditionally that fan that watched the race on television, but then maybe switched off the TV and didn't come back for another two weeks. And there’s maybe a fan now that might be only watching highlights, but they’re consuming hours of F1 content on TikTok every single day. Which one’s the hardcore?”
Rob Bloom, CMO, Aston Martin F1

That question sits at the center of how Formula 1 teams, especially Aston Martin F1 Team, are now approaching marketing around a race weekend.

Miami Grand Prix is Much Bigger Than the Race Itself

The Miami Grand Prix exists in a category of Formula 1 races almost entirely separate from most races on the 24-race calendar. With the exception of races like Las Vegas or Monaco, perhaps, the event has become equal parts sport, music festival, networking convention, lifestyle hotspot, and social conent machine.

For teams, that creates an entirely different challenge than simply entertaining guests in the Formula 1 Paddock – or for Aston Martin F1 Team, with their Glenfiddich activation trackside. For Aston Martin, Miami mirrored a city-wide marketing campaign.

The KPI's? Reach. Visibility. Not just for Aston Martin F1 Team, but for their partners.

Aston Martin Celsius Run Club Turnout | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

"We've come here with a real intent to provide opportunities and experiences for people to engage in and enjoy and celebrate this team, this sport. We just need to make sure that we're hitting the right audiences with enough reach, with enough visibility for our partners and we'll be really curious to understand what people are saying about this."
Rob Bloom, CMO, Aston Martin F1

Importantly, he repeatedly framed success around participation and conversation rather than exclusivity. Bloom added that their primary indicator of success is "noise" – referring to social engagement, fan sentiment, PR reach, and the broader reaction to Aston Martin as a brand, not just Alonso and Stroll competing on track.

That mindset helps explain why so many of the team’s events were designed around accessibility rather than prestige.

Fans at Aston Martin Celsius Run Club | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

The Celsius Run Club, for example, could have simply been a branded hospitality stop with free products and influencer appearances. Instead, Aston Martin built the activation around participation itself.

"It was about bringing 2,000 people together for a shared experience united by an interest and love around Formula 1. We hear fans on platforms like TikTok saying, ‘Who else is out there that’s got this newfound enjoyment and interest in Formula One?' Where are you and how can I connect with you?”
Rob Bloom, CMO, Aston Martin F1

The proof was in the pudding. Upon chatting with a Formula 1 fan and avid runner who attended the run club, Brooke Murray, she shared that what resonated with her wasn't just about the shared experience and an exhilarating kickoff. It was about the Aston Martin F1 Team itself.

"The vibe was super welcoming and easygoing, and I loved that the Aston Martin team members joined in too! It made everything feel a lot more personal and created such a fun sense of community right away."
Brooke Murray, Formula 1 Fan

Aston Martin's core idea of using activations to help fans connect with each other, the human beings behind team operations, and not just the drivers, feels increasingly central to Formula 1's growth strategy in America.

The Drivers See the Shift Alongside the Fans

For Aston Martin Driver Ambassador and Head of F1 Academy, Jessica Hawkins, the increasing scale of race week activations has become impossible to ignore.

"I feel like every year gets busier and busier. To be honest, the busier the better. In recent years, we've seen the amount of female fans, especially, grow hugely. It's nice to see women here because they really want to be here, as well."
Jessica Hawkins, Aston Martin F1

Jessica Hawkins Meet and Greet | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

Hawkins spent the week participating in multiple Miami events and appearances, including filming projects tied to Aston Martin’s wider race-week programming. What stands out, though, is her pointedly recognizing the same thing that CMO Bloom acknowledged – F1's audience demographics are changing, especially among women.

That evolution has become particularly noticeable in the United States, where Formula 1 fandom increasingly revolves around personality, storytelling, fashion, wellness, and culture as much as it does around technical racing discussions.

Hawkins also reflected on the real-world impact fan experiences can create, recalling a Formula 1 show-run she participated in Saudi Arabia, where she experienced reactions from women realizing that the person driving the show-run car was, in fact, a woman.

“It was only at that point that I realized the positive impact we were having in these places that we go,” she shared, which was clearly obvious in her networking and chatting with fans and sponsors alike at most of the Aston Martin F1 activations throughout the weekend.

That perspective aligned closely with Aston Martin’s broader Miami philosophy. To the team, visibility matters, access matters, and fan connection matters even outside the race itself. When that philosophy is shared by the drivers as well? The brand becomes unstoppable.

Reserve driver Jak Crawford reflected similarly, as someone very close in age to the younger audience Formula 1 is rapidly attracting in America.

"A lot of people who are my friends that are going to universities are really interested in these kinds of things [Celsius Run Club]. That’s something I like, and a lot of people my age can attend to feel involved.”
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin F1 Reserve

The American driver described Miami as “pretty incredible,” especially given the sheer number of activations happening throughout the city during race week.

Aston Martin F1 Team Is Bigger Than Their Results Alone

Naturally, there is another layer to all of the activations and brand visibility at the core of the Miami Grand Prix Weekend.

While Aston Martin F1 Team spent the week activating across the city, focusing on wellness, throwing late-night parties, and building luxury hospitality experiences, the team also arrived in Miami in the middle of a difficult season on track, so far.

Aston Martin F1 Fans at Stilt House | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

That contrast – poor performance paired with one of their most successful commercial weekends – is impossible to ignore from the outside. It's something that CMO Bloom openly addressed.

"I don't think you become a 113-year-old brand unless you can endure. If I look at the reaction and response to fans engaging in our activations out here in Miami, they’re having a fantastic experience with Formula One. That doesn’t change based on what’s happening on track."
Rob Bloom, CMO, Aston Martin F1

Internally, the team refers to that philosophy as "The New Classic" – balancing heritage with reinvention. After all, building and rebuilding years do exist as a practice across motorsport. In Miami, that mentality shaped how the team approached the weekend altogether.

Even with over a century of heritage, storytelling still matters. The partnerships still matter. The experiences to everyone, not just someone who can afford an Aston Martin or a Paddock Pass, still matter. Winning, naturally, would amplify it, but the commercial and fan strategy doesn't suddenly take pause when the car is struggling.

Aston Martin F1 Show Car | Courtesy of Aston Martin F1 Team

In all honesty, many of the people attending activations across the city may not know where Aston Martin F1 Team even finished on Sunday, but they will remember the atmosphere. They'll think back to the Celsius Run Club or the beautiful evening at the Aston Martin Residences or partying with their friends at Palm Tree Club.

They'll simply remember that Aston Martin F1 Team are the ones who involved them in Formula 1 fan culture in the first place. That is what the team is betting on.

The race results may fluctuate week to week, but Miami showed that Aston Martin F1 Team is building and maintaining a brand capable of lasting far longer than that. A brand for every type of fan.

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