The Moment Motorsport Entered Mainstream Storytelling
Before Drive to Survive.
Before the global explosion of Formula 1 fandom.
There was Hollywood.
An episode of the iconic CSI: Miami—produced by Jerry Bruckheimer—turned the streets of Miami into a 200 mph cinematic racetrack, blending real Champ Car racing with prime-time television.
At the center of it all:
The American Spirit Team Johansson — powered by heritage, speed, and Merlins Energy Source.
$3M+ in Exposure: The Power of Storytelling Meets Speed
The numbers tell the story:
- 12.0 rating / 19 share (nearly 13 million households)
- Over $1M+ in sponsor exposure for brands like Ford Motor Company and Bridgestone
- Featured race teams including Team Johansson, running Cosworth-powered machines
This wasn’t just product placement.
This was immersive storytelling at scale—years before the term existed.
Merlins was there.
From CSI Miami to Apple’s F1 Film
What started on CSI didn’t end there.
Jerry Bruckheimer would go on to executive produce the new Formula 1 feature film starring Brad Pitt, distributed by Apple—bringing racing storytelling full circle into the streaming era.
Merlins’ origin story sits right at that intersection:
- Hollywood
- Motorsport
- Global media distribution.
WATCH CSI Video Here by CSI’s
Watch the original scene from CSI: Miami “High Octane,” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, where Champ car racing meets Hollywood storytelling on the streets of Miami.
@csicbs This episode gave a whole new meaning to “high-octane” 🏎 #CSIMiami♬ original sound – The CSIs