Willing to do anything to win over American audiences, Formula One had taken a daring gamble by moving its shiny single-seaters to the famous Las Vegas Strip. A $500 million bet that divided even the most famous drivers, with Lewis Hamilton saying this race would be “the greatest of all time.” while Max Verstappen said he felt “like a clown”.
“They don’t understand what we do on the track,” complained the Dutchman, who had already secured first place in the drivers’ standings a few days before his triumph under the neon lights.
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But it is clear that after months of painful preparation for local residents and thousands of tourists, as well as a serious – and costly, we’ll come back to this – problem during the first free practice session, Liberty Media has won its challenge.
Oscar Piastri flies around the track in Las Vegas in his McLaren during free practice on Friday evening. Photo AFP
Especially on a sporting level, which raised a lot of questions. In order to attract the attention of Americans, after 41 years of absence in the Nevada desert, it was still necessary to present an exciting event.
And this 3.8-mile circuit with its 1.2-mile straight that passed through several well-known hotels, including the Bellagio and Caesars Palace, may have been the dream of TV producers, but not the drivers.
There were a lot of fans there at qualifying on Saturday evening. Photo AFP
Great three-way fight
Verstappen (he again) also described the route as “not interesting”.
However, like many purists, the Red Bull driver was wrong.
With its three-way battle for first place, which also included the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and the Mexican Sergio Perez (Red Bull), the Las Vegas Grand Prix was at times as exciting as an evening on the Strip.
Even Verstappen recanted in the hours after the night race, which was held in front of a host of stars including Brad Pitt and Rihanna and started at 9:50 p.m. local time (1:50 a.m. Eastern Time). ballast).
“I had a lot of fun, great race! » wrote the three-time world champion on the social network X.
“I’m really grateful that the race was so good,” said Hamilton. [Mercedes] in an interview with Sky Sports. I don’t know how big of a spectacle it was for the spectators, but there were so many position changes. »
“And I didn’t expect the route to be so beautiful! »
Spin-offs valued at $1.7 billion
But all was not rosy in the land of the flamingos (and of course Elvis Prestley, as the king’s imitators turned out in large numbers to parade through the paddocks, as the local press reported).
Despite the astronomical costs, getting the facilities ready for the race on time felt like a time trial.
And for months the work caused headaches for locals, especially traders.
Traffic, boarded-up windows to avoid watching the race: many assume that the game will continue to grow despite the expected $1.7 billion in side profits (particularly thanks to the exorbitant prices of hotel rooms, which often exceed $1,000). Dollars per night) is not worth it.
But also a costly affair
This controversy also arose around the first free practice session on Friday, when a loose manhole cover near the Bellagio severely damaged Spaniard Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
Friday’s first free practice session was delayed by more than two hours when a loose manhole near the Bellagio severely damaged Spaniard Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. We see inspectors investigating the situation. Photo AFP
The incident, which occurred just eight minutes after takeoff, delayed training by 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The fans were rather demonstrative during free practice on Friday, which was interrupted for over two hours. Photo AFP
Spectators had to leave the site and were unable to return due to a lack of staff.
Result: The organizers are now watched by almost 35,000 spectators, some of whom paid top dollar.
Carlos Sainz was able to drive with greater peace of mind on Saturday, 24 hours after the incident that damaged his Ferrari. Photo AFP
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, five people have been named as plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, which seeks more than $15,000 in damages.
But it will take more to cast doubt on Formula 1: tickets for the 2024 event are already on sale… at a minimum price of $686 per person.