Day Seven of our 12-day festive countdown feature takes us back to May and the build-up to the release of F1: The Movie, with activations taking place to showcase what would go on to be a recordbreaking film.
Formula 1 used the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix to stage an entertainment-led activation built around APXGP, installing a full pit garage experience as part of the launch campaign for F1: The Movie and its accompanying soundtrack album.
Installed in the paddock just metres from the sport’s real team garages, the activation recreated the fictional APXGP pit environment featured in the Apple Original Films production.
The proximity to operational garages was central to the concept, reinforcing realism rather than presenting the build as a standalone brand installation.
Unlike traditional showcases, the garage was designed to be participatory. Fans and invited guests were able to step inside the space, engaging directly with the environment rather than viewing it from behind barriers.
The APXGP build formed part of a wider push around F1 THE ALBUM, the official soundtrack tied to F1: The Movie, with Miami used as a high-visibility moment to introduce the project.
The album brought together a roster of international artists including Dom Dolla, Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran, reflecting F1’s increasingly global cultural positioning and its efforts to reach audiences beyond traditional motorsport channels.
Inside the garage, visitors engaged with interactive elements including racing simulators, games and film memorabilia, alongside previews connected to the soundtrack campaign.
The format was deliberately structured to mirror a functioning F1 garage, blurring the line between the championship’s real-world operations and the fictional team at the centre of the film.
The activation also reflected F1’s broader strategy of expanding fan access beyond the grandstands.
By allowing fans into a space that visually and operationally resembled an authentic pit garage, the APXGP installation repurposed one of the sport’s most exclusive environments for entertainment and storytelling.
Miami’s role in the activation underlined the event’s growing importance as a platform for cultural crossover.
The grand prix has increasingly hosted entertainment and lifestyle-led activations, making it a natural setting for F1 to promote a major film property while maintaining a clear link to the on-track product.
As F1 continues to extend its narrative beyond racing, the APXGP garage activation offered a clear example of how access and immersion can be used to support film and music projects tied directly to the championship.
