Barilla Gave Formula 1 and Arvid Lindblad a Rare Moment to Slow Down in Miami

The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix is often regarded as half race and half commercial playground as brands descend on the city to capture the attention of millions of racing fans around the globe with activations, pop-ups, and celebrity appearances.

Drivers and teams bounce from obligation to obligation before ever stepping into the car or garage. Everything about the Miami weekend feels louder, faster, and bigger.

Barilla, the Official Pasta Partner of Formula 1 and newest partner of the Visa CashApp Racing Bulls Team (Racing Bulls), decided to do the opposite.

On Thursday night, instead of hosting a star-studded party, Barilla hosted a dinner at Torno Subito, bringing together drivers, team members, media, and most importantly, the surprise of a lifetime for some Racing Bulls team members — their families.

For many inside Formula 1, where the calendar now stretches across 24 race weekends around the globe, moments like this are increasingly rare. Grand Prix on SI attended the dinner and sat down with F1 Driver Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, to discuss these important moments of connection amongst Formula 1's demanding schedule.

Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls Miami GP — May 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad (41) during the Sprint Qualifying session before the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Barilla's Spirit of Domenica Italiana

The dinner may have celebrated Barilla's new partnership with Racing Bulls, but the focus of the night never had that corporate feel. Instead, the evening leaned fully into the idea of slowing Formula 1 down, human connection, and a pointedly delicious meal prepared by Massimo Battura.

Inside Torno Subito, conversations drifted away from race strategy, obligations, and nonstop movement in the paddock. Instead, drivers, team members, media, and guests sat together over plates of pasta while family members reunited with loved ones they rarely see during the Formula 1 season.

Hugs stretched across the restaurant almost as quickly as pasta plates disappeared from tables. The atmosphere of the night reflected the exact spirit Barilla has continued to push since becoming F1's partner earlier this season – food as a point of connection.

"Taking time to come together, even when schedules make it difficult, is at the heart of what we do. As we deepen our involvement with Formula 1, including our new partnership with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, we’re proud to create moments that bring people back to what matters most: connecting over a meal and feeling close to family and friends.”
Melissa Tendick, Barilla Americas

That idea carried through the menu itself, which featured dishes including Barilla's new "Racing Wheels" pasta shape, inspired by Formula 1 tires and designed specifically around race culture. In a city where every F1 activation fights to be louder, bigger, and more well attended, Barilla's dinner stood out because it wasn't trying to be any of those things – just a shared meal amongst loved ones.

Arvid Lindblad Reflected on Formula 1's Growing Scale and Young Fanbase

The idea of slowing down over a meal resonated with Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad, who had just begun to experience the scale of Formula 1 in Miami for the first time.

Arvid Lindblad Barilla Torno Subito Dinner | Courtesy of Barilla

For Lindblad, Miami offered one of the clearest looks yet at just how large the Formula 1 world becomes away from the racetrack itself. After all, the 18-year-old is only four races into his career and admitted that one of the biggest surprises of stepping into Formula 1 has been, in fact, how much of his role is dedicated to work outside of the car itself.

"I still have to pinch myself sometimes. It still hasn’t fully sunken in, which is pretty cool. Probably the thing that surprised me most about the job is just how much of it is not just driving the car. I always knew there was that side of it because I’m young and I’ve always seen media and marketing being a big part of the sport. It is just a little bit more than I appreciated."
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Lindblad continued to reflect on what he had already done in Miami – from DJ Khaled revealing their Miami Livery on a yacht to a Thursday full of media engagements that led him to our conversation at dinner. Really, what Lindblad was most excited to see was the true scale of the fans on track.

"It's been a little bit busier. But honestly, it's hard for me to really know the scale because we haven't gotten into the racing yet. I think Saturday and Sunday, when all the fans really come – that's when we're really going to see the show of this race."
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Beyond the dinner itself, Barilla's Miami Grand Prix presence also centered around making Formula 1 feel more tangible for fans through its new "Racing Wheels" pasta shape, inspired by Formula 1 tires and featured throughout the weekend.

Barilla Racing Wheels Pasta Dish | Courtesy of Barilla

For Lindblad, a driver who is part of the same generation as many new fans of the sport, partnerships like that help bridge the gap between the paddock and the fans experiencing the sport from outside of it.

"I just think it’s quite cool. In Italy, pasta is massive. They have loads of different types of pasta, so the fact that they can make a tire you can eat – the same sort of shape and look that we have on our race car – is pretty cool. I think it just brings the fans a little bit closer to the sport.”
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

We at Grand Prix on SI agree with that sentiment, and can confirm the team at Torno Subito cooked the wheels to perfection.

Family Remains a Constant for Lindblad Behind Formula 1's Fast Pace

Even amid Formula 1's nonstop travel and growing global attention, Lindblad said that family and friends remain the thing that keeps him grounded away from the track. After all, he is just 18 years old.

"When I go home, I'm just at home with my friends and family doing normal things. I just feel like a normal 18-year-old kid, which is quite fun."
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Barilla hosts Arvid Lindblad, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Nico Rosberg with Chef Massimo Bottura at Torno Subito | Courtesy of Barilla

Normalcy was exactly what Barilla's dinner attempted to recreate in the middle of one of Formula 1's most overwhelming weekends. Not just for Lindblad or the other athletes who attended (Nico Rosberg and Mikaela Shiffrin), but for the team.

For Lindblad, his Racing Bulls team does become a 'family away from home', but his true feeling of home and a shared meal rests in the capable hands of his 'nani'. Her food, he admitted, reminds him most of home.

"Her cooking is amazing. Whenever I come home after races, I always go see her to have some of her food. Probably my favorite dish is dal and her chicken curry with rice. Then she also makes gluten-free chapatis for me."
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

The moments that stay with Lindblad are not always the loudest ones. Sometimes, they look more like sitting around the table with his nani or his best friend Duarte, eating a meal that reminds him of home.

For one night in Miami, Barilla created a space for Formula 1 to experience that feeling of 'togetherness'.

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