The list of things I love is pretty typical, I think: my friends and family, my dog, reading and writing, baking and good food, travel and fashion, learning Italian, watching documentaries, supporting the New York Islanders. But. Then there’s Formula 1. I was raised a sports fan, one of those kids whose parents put her in an Islanders onesie before she could walk or talk, but my family was never into motorsport. I think my love for Formula 1 surprises people, like it’s a non-sequitur on that long list of things I love.




While spending time with the Ferrari team, I stopped in front of Charles Leclerc’s garage.


But something about the sport is just irresistible to me: the high intensity and high speed nature of it all, the mayhem of the media circus surrounding it, the beauty of the tracks all around the globe, the tight-knit, elite nature of there being just 20 Formula 1 drivers in the world. It all comes together like a perfect puzzle to create a sport that I find both fascinating and irresistible, one that I willingly wake up to watch at 7 a.m. on precious Sunday mornings.

As a sports fan, I love attending live sports whenever I can. I go to most Islanders home games and try to make a few Mets games each season—so, naturally, this year I decided it would be fun to attend my first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix. I chose the race in Austin, Texas, often called the USGP, at Circuit of the Americas, or COTA. I’d never even been to Texas when I booked the tickets, and my friend and her brother who were coming all the way from the west coast of Canada to attend the race with me hadn’t either—we were going in with nothing but YouTube vlogs and Netflix’s Formula 1 docuseries “Drive to Survive” to guide us.

Generally, like most people, I keep my work and my personal life pretty separate. There’s not much about hockey, baking or Netflix docuseries that overlap with the eyecare industry—learning Italian and the eyecare industry though, is an entirely different story. One day I’ll be able to confidently hold a conversation at Mido, mark my words. But Formula 1 is one of my personal passions that overlaps with work in a fascinating way, and I was incredibly lucky to see it in real-time while at COTA this year.





Getting to meet both Ferrari drivers was so exciting for me.





There are 10 teams in Formula 1, and most have an eyewear sponsor. With each team having two drivers, it means there are as many as 20 drivers on any given weekend strutting through the media circus in their sponsored eyewear. Some eyewear sponsors’ names and logos appear on the car themselves, while others appear on the drivers’ race suits. Some partner with the drivers to design special, limited edition frames that fans can purchase to match their favorite driver. It’s a perfect partnership, really—most of the drivers are young, handsome, and frankly look fantastic in a great pair of sunglasses.

I am a Ferrari fan (often called, Tifosi, Italian for “fan”), and Ferrari’s Formula 1 team is sponsored by EssilorLuxottica’s Ray-Ban. The Ray-Ban logo appears on Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s race suits and cars, and both drivers have collaborated with Ray-Ban to create their own special edition sunglass styles; Leclerc is my favorite driver, and I wore his design all weekend at COTA. Being at the USGP meant I got to have an inside look at how Ferrari and Ray-Ban work together, too—thanks to my job and our amazing industry, I was able to spend time behind the scenes in Ferrari hospitality, speaking with Ferrari employees and partners and learning even more about what life is like for the people who live F1 every single day.






We also had the opportunity to walk through the pit lane, stopping to take pictures of Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s cars.




Formula 1 has only been growing in popularity in the U.S.—just under half a million people attended the USGP this year, a record attendance for the race, and in addition to the actual racing, the weekend featured concerts from Ed Sheeran, Green Day and Interpol. Next year, the U.S. will host three Formula 1 races: one in Miami, one in Austin and the inaugural race in Las Vegas, where a track will be built along the strip.


 
The USGP weekend was an amazing opportunity to see how sports and our industry intersect.
 

 
There are even rumors that Formula 1 will add an American driver next year, if Fort Lauderdale, Florida-native Logan Sargeant signs with Williams Racing, as some suspect he will. There’s no question that Formula 1 is quickly becoming a main stream sport in the U.S.—and that it’s something retailers across all industries should be paying attention to. The eyewear and eyecare industries are uniquely situated, though—we’re already an integral part of Formula 1, and the potential is only growing. Be it through sponsorships and partnerships, design inspiration, or other avenues, the Formula 1 ride is one we should be taking.

I had one of the best weekends of my life at the USGP. I watched some incredibly fun racing, experienced a new state, met friends new and old, and got a special look at how our industry is so closely tied with a sport I love. Everyone I met was fascinating, kind and uniquely passionate about Formula 1 from all sides. I am so excited to see how our industries continue to work and grow together—and, of course, to don a new pair of Ferrari Ray-Bans next season.