Dinner with Jordan and basketball-themed gear: When hoops and F1 meet
Sergio Perez takes his Red Bull through New York, the Everglades and Miami on his way to the Hard Rock Stadium. (1:15)
Formula One heads to Miami this weekend as the city hosts its first racing event for the league. The Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix takes place at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC).
Read More: Everything you need to know about the Miami Grand Prix
Before Sunday’s race, there has been plenty of hoops in South Florida. The Miami Heat had a strong start to their Eastern Conference semifinal round against the Philadelphia 76ers, gaining a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday.
Some F1 racers took a leap into the hoops world ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. British-Belgian driver Lando Norris is known for his creative helmet designs, and he unveiled a basketball-themed look for the upcoming race. It features his name, signature and logo on the back.
Slam dunk 🏀 pic.twitter.com/Apg2rnL4pU
Baller alert! ⚠️🏀 @LandoNorris #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/ylAnamLSBg
“I saw some people playing basketball one time, and I thought, ‘Damn, that’d make for a cool helmet,'” said Norris about the inspiration for the design, per Motorsportweek.
Earlier in the week, Norris tweeted about potentially playing some basketball in his free time.
What you sayin’ @NBA @MiamiHEAT?
Entering the Miami Grand Prix, Norris is ranked sixth in the F1 standings.
Elsewhere, Pierre Gasly had dinner with Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan ahead of Sunday’s race. He posted pictures of him and the six-time NBA champion to his Instagram account. Jordan also signed a pair of sneakers for the 26-year-old driver. Gasly is 13th in the F1 standings.
Jordan has some racing experience: He co-owns a NASCAR team with Denny Hamlin. Their squad, 23XI Racing, has Bubba Wallace and Kurt Busch as drivers on the roster.