Ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, American Express has announced its partnership with F1 Academy. The two are partnering to unveil a custom car livery and race suit worn by F1 Academy driver Jessica Edgar.  

The 19-year-old British driver, part of a fourth-generation racing family, will be sporting the number 17 car operated by Rodin Motorsport. Throughout the remainder of the 2024 season, Edgar will now drive American Express’ livery and wear a custom Amex-branded race suit. Edgar has been racing karts since 2010 and raced in the GB4 Championship in 2022. Edgar drove last year during the inaugural F1 Academy season.

F1 Academy is an all-women single-seater racing championship with seven races coinciding with the Formula 1 World Champion calendar. F1 Academy empowers women to mentally and physically prepare them to progress to competitive racing. 

Now in its second year, women drivers between the ages of 16 and 25, with karting and junior racing experience, are racing in cities across the world including Jeddah, Zandvoort, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Miami is the only F1 Academy race being held for the 2024 season in the U.S. 

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“American Express is a worldwide leader in the payments space and a powerful advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurs globally, and we’re proud to welcome them to F1 Academy as an official partner,” said Susie Wolff, managing director at F1 Academy. “We’re thankful to American Express for embracing our vision and for showing their commitment to elevating women in sport and inspiring the next generation of female drivers.” 

In partnership with F1 Academy, American Express will help spotlight an SMB in each of the race’s local areas by featuring the company’s Shop Small logo and including the featured SMB logo on both the car and race suit.  

At the Miami Grand Prix, Miami’s woman-owned SMB Caja Caliente will be featured on Edgar’s car and race suit. Caja Caliente, owned by Chef Monica “Mika” Leon, is a local favorite celebrated for its Cuban tacos. 

As previously reported by WWD, a meteoric rise in sports tourism has taken over the travel industry — with Miami being a major city for travel this year for the Grand Prix. Seeing the potential SMBs can benefit from this surge during major events, Amex will also provide free marketing toolkits to local SMBs including items to welcome Formula 1 and F1 Academy fans to their stores.  

The move continues Amex’s commitment as a partner to Formula 1 — the news follows the company’s multiregional partnership as the official payment of partner for the Formula 1 Americas race. To celebrate the women in motorsport, Amex is hosting a card member event with a concert by Camila Cabello on the Wednesday before the Miami Grand Prix. 

“We are thrilled to launch our global partnership with F1 Academy for the 2024 season,” said Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express. “Powerfully backing communities is core to American Express’ DNA. With this partnership we hope to continue to foster equal opportunities for women, on and off the track, while spotlighting women-owned small businesses and their impact on their local communities.” 

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