Lindsey Vonn has time of her life in Miami Weekend: From meeting Lionel Messi to supporting women's sports

Lindsey Vonn gushed about her packed weekend in Miami, where she supported women's sports at the F1 Academy and met soccer legend Lionel Messi during Inter Miami CF’s match. Vonn had the honour of presenting trophies to the top three finishers of the F1 Academy race, including French driver Doriane Pin. The F1 Academy, launched in 2023, aims to promote women in motorsports.

The same weekend, she also attended the Major League Soccer match between Inter Miami CF and the New York Red Bulls. She participated in the honorary coin toss and met Messi. The Argentine maestro scored the team's fourth goal in a 4-1 victory.

Lindsey Vonn shared photos from the weekend with Lionel Messi, Karli Kildow, Chloe Chambers, Alisha Palmowski, and Doriane Pin on Instagram. She captioned the post:

“Miami F1 weekend photo dump. It was another fun weekend, that’s for sure! Bucket list items checked off the list, time in the garages and handing out the trophies for Saturday’s race. Always proud to support women in sports with the @f1academy. Until next time…”

Vonn also joined F1 Academy's 'Women Drive' panel discussion, where they spoke about women breaking barriers in male-dominated arenas. As per Vonn, the conversation focused on:

"We talked about resilience, representation, and leadership – and why instilling grit in the next generation of girls matters more than ever."

Lindsey Vonn retired from competitive skiing in 2019. In 2024, she made a remarkable comeback after partial knee surgery and earned a podium finish at the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

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Lindsey Vonn opens up about the negative comments from peers

Lindsey Vonn at F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Previews - Source: Getty

Lindsey Vonn is the only American skier to claim an Olympic gold medal in a downhill race event. After returning to sport in 2024, she became the oldest alpine skier to make a podium finish at the World Cup Finals.

Speaking with CNN, Vonn discussed the negative comments she faced after returning.

“That really hurt me, and, by the end, I knew that I could do it for myself, but I also wanted to prove it for every 40-year-old woman you know that we are not defined by our age," Vonn said.

We’re defined by our ability and our work ethic, and I worked as hard as I could to be back to where I got to, and that’s why I felt like I needed to do it to prove to women that we could," she added.

Vonn is planning to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. She recently completed her first spring training camp in over 10 years earlier this month.