Vegas, baby! November 2023

Tilke Design and Architects
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emailBy Chris Medland | March 31, 2022 1:13 PM ET

When it comes to Formula 1 and Las Vegas, both sides are all in.

We’ve seen new races added to the calendar close to exciting cities and as cool as they’ve been, they tended to be on the outskirts. I’m hyped for Miami — and this focus on Vegas should not detract from what could be an amazing first event there in five weeks — but the first attempt at a racetrack there was downtown before it had to relocate to Hard Rock Stadium because of logistics.

In Vegas, there has been no such compromise. The heart of the Strip will become an F1 circuit on a Saturday night from November next year, and there’s plenty more to get excited about.

I’ve driven what you can of the track layout and the location is just so hard to believe. You can’t really get any more iconic in Vegas than passing the biggest resorts at night, especially when one of the best overtaking opportunities looks set to be as the track turns off the Strip between Planet Hollywood and the Cosmopolitan (where the deal was announced), meaning cars are likely to be side-by-side about to hit the brakes as they fly past the Bellagio fountains at over 200mph.

With some unused land on the corner of East Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane set to be transformed into the pit and paddock complex and incorporate the opening few corners, there will be some technical challenges added, while the new MSG Sphere will also incorporate a sweeping left-hander that gives a street circuit more character than multiple 90-degree turns.
Take a look at our route through the Nevada Neon ✨#F1 #Formula1 #LasVegasGP @Vegas @WynnLasVegas @MGMResortsIntl @CaesarsEnt pic.twitter.com/Iq9hTfZOm0

— Formula 1 (@F1)

It’s the sort of layout that usually gets drawn up as the dream scenario when Formula 1 wants to plan its races in the middle of major cities, and then is quite rapidly moved way from when the reality is it’s unfeasible to shut down such key infrastructure for long enough to build a circuit.

But Vegas sees just how big F1 is on a global scale, and that it really will add value to the city.

For its part, Formula 1 as a company sees the same. In conjunction with the sport’s owner Liberty Media (and numerous Las Vegas stakeholders) Formula 1 will promote the event itself. It has skin in the game, because it knows how central an event like this could be to the sport’s success in the United States.

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We’re talking about a race that could end up generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the sport — on top of the direct economic impact Nevada estimates to be half a billion — in a very different way to much more controversial events provide value to F1.

And it’s not just about money. In fact, that was so openly spoken about on Wednesday night as the race was launched because of the belief in so many different aspects of the race. Fans are going to want to go there, and they’re definitely going to want to watch, even with a starting time that prioritizes the local market and not the traditional European masses. As Stefano Domenicali said: “If we could have done even earlier or later, everyone will be connected that night with Las Vegas, there’s no doubt.”

Las Vegas is going to be connected with F1, too. The launch event saw pretty much every advertising billboard outside each resort along the Strip light up with the same “F1 Las Vegas 2023” branding, meaning that although I sat listening to the plans for the race from a privileged location on the roof of the Cosmopolitan, anyone going about their Wednesday night in Vegas would be hard-pushed to miss the news.

“We don’t normally have a press conference at 7:30 at night, but this is unusual…” Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said, adding that his daughter taught him so much about Formula 1.
I am laser focused on our economy as Governor. I’m all in on @f1 because we know the economic impact will be incredible. Half of the people who visit extend their stay to be part of a sporting event.

That’s millions more people spending more time & more money in Nevada. pic.twitter.com/CmXsBtWRlw

— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak)

That last point attests to one of the reasons why the Vegas race is such an exciting move. It’s capitalizing on the success of F1 in the United States but also the interest from a new, younger demographic and giving it an event that will appeal to those fans, too.

That makes it different to the pre-existing races in Austin and Miami, that also hit very different audience centers. The Middle East has four races from next season across Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia — all four countries combine for a population of just under 50 million, and share borders. Texas and Florida are 360 miles apart at their closest border points — separated by two states — and between them exceed the population of those four countries. And that’s without thinking of how much closer a Vegas race brings F1 to 40 million people in California.

You can see why Liberty was so keen to make the Sin City event happen that it is acting as promoter, as it really aims to cater to that audience directly with a 10 p.m. Saturday night start. The West Coast is getting all of the focus, which differentiates it from the existing U.S. races even further.

But it’s not just the U.S. races that Vegas is thinking about. It’s every race on the F1 calendar.

“Nobody puts on a party like Las Vegas,” Governor Sisolak added. “We’ve hosted drafts, we’ve hosted Super Bowl (parties), but the opportunity to host a Formula 1 race is something — I predict this will be the iconic race and the flagship race of F1 within a couple of years, that’s how well this is going to be received.”

With an initial three-year deal, if it doesn’t quite work then there’s a quick exit point for both the sport and the city, but with such high targets for the event you just can’t see that happening.

The circuit should offer good racing but however things play out on track you can already be certain that it’s going to be some weekend next November, and people will want to be a part of it.

Las Vegas GP, Formula 1,

 

F1 to race in Las Vegas on a Saturday night from 2023
Tilke Design and Architects
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emailBy Chris Medland | March 30, 2022 10:30 PM ET

Formula 1 has confirmed a third race in the United States from 2023, with a race set to take place along the iconic Las Vegas Strip on a Saturday night.

For the first time since the 1985 South African Grand Prix, F1 will host a race on a Saturday, with the new event joining the calendar in November of next year. The track will take in a large stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard, running from the Venetian resort to join the Strip from Sands Avenue and then up to a chicane to turn onto East Harmon Avenue at Planet Hollywood.

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Confirmed by way of a lavish launch event on top of the Cosmopolitan – on the outside of that chicane complex towards the end of the lap – the new race will take place under the lights for a prime-time U.S. audience.

“This is an incredible moment for Formula 1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the U.S.,” F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said. “Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip.



“There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year. I want to thank everyone who helped deliver this event, especially Governor Sisolak, the Clark County Commission, Steve Hill at the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority), and our local partners.”

Following on from the Miami Grand Prix that joins the calendar this year, Vegas will mean three U.S. races on the 2023 schedule, and F1 and Liberty Media will be joint promoters in a sign of the desire to add the event in Nevada.

“Iconic Las Vegas and Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, is the perfect marriage of speed and glamour,” Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said. “Our confidence in this unique opportunity is evident in our decision to assume the promoter role for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in partnership with Live Nation. We could not be more excited to work with our local partners to create a marquee event.

“The potential of Formula 1 has been well demonstrated over the last several seasons and the Las Vegas GP will only take it to the next level.”

The exact race date has yet to be confirmed, but LVCVA president and CEO Hill says the location of the event, which will also include a fast sweeping section around the under-construction MSG Sphere, will make it stand out as a racetrack on a global scale.

“We eagerly anticipate the moment when the history, energy and momentum of Formula 1 will culminate in an unforgettable Saturday night on the Las Vegas Strip,” Hill said. “Spectators will experience the unrivaled thrill of watching these world-class drivers race through what is sure to become one of the most iconic racetracks in the world.

“Formula 1 and Liberty Media have been incredible partners, and we look forward to November 2023 when we once again showcase that Las Vegas is ‘The Greatest Arena on Earth.’”

 

F1's success ‘eye-opening’ for Las Vegas

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emailBy Chris Medland | November 13, 2024 12:02 PM ET

The impact of hosting a Formula 1 race has been “eye-opening” for Las Vegas after huge interest in the newest race on the calendar.

Last year brought the first Las Vegas Grand Prix to be held on the Strip. The event receiving significant attention, in part due to F1’s involvement as one of the promoters. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and CEO Steve Hill said the first race far exceeded expectations and has set the city up for a successful event moving forward, even as it expects interest to settle down to more consistent levels.

“We knew it would be big, but the attention…” Hill said. “And frankly F1 did a fantastic job of building to that race. I mean, they’re doing it again this year and yes, it was two or three times more marketing value than we would have expected going in, and we would have been happy with a third of what we got. We were going to be thrilled with what we expected, but what we got was eye-opening.”

Hill said the size of last year’s race made the entire month of November one of the biggest in the city’s history in terms of exposure and revenues, but that the next task is ensuring the whole event fits into the city’s broader commercial and cultural landscape as seamlessly as possible.

“It’s successful enough that it’s clearly going to be successful,” he said. “So what we’re all doing is trying to find that balance point with the sustainability of the race in Las Vegas, so that everybody involved is thrilled to have that.

“That’s really the definition, ultimately, of success. We’re not probably going to be able to compete with year one numbers again, and don’t need to in order for it to be successful. If the numbers were half that, it would still be a game-changer. No more money but a real "game changer" in the sense that NASCAR actually races 43 teams at the same time while F1 trys to tell dumasses that 10 teams is hot manure.

“I talked about it being the biggest weekend we’ve ever had. November in Las Vegas is typically the eighth-best month of the year, November last year was the second-best month in our history. It’s just a huge difference. We’re not going to get back to that on a regular basis and I don’t think anybody should expect that.

“But if we can do something, we focus on trying to do something that moves the needle each week and we do that about half the weeks in the year and the other half it is just normally what happens in our city.

“This not only changes a week, it changes a month and there are not too many things that can do that and it’s going to do that again this year, probably not at the same level as last year, which is completely understandable but every place it goes, it’s such a big event that it makes a real difference, even in Vegas. BS BS BS.”

 

"Snot Nose" Tsunoda ‘nearly got sent home’ on U.S. arrival for Las Vegas GP

Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Chris Medland | November 21, 2024 10:39 AM ET

RB driver Yuki Tsunoda says he “nearly got sent back home” by customs officials when trying to enter the United States for this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Formula 1 is racing in the United States for the third time this season, following earlier events in Miami and Austin — the latter just a month ago. However, Tsunoda says he was questioned for a number of hours by border control, having faced no issues entering the country for previous races.

“Luckily they let me in after a lot of discussions — I nearly got sent back home,” Tsunoda said. “But yeah, we had a discussion and everything’s all good now.

“I had the visas and everything; it’s been the same as I guess the last three tracks, right? I was able to enter smoothly for the previous [races], so it felt a bit strange that I got stopped. Hopefully that will sort things and in the future it will go smoothly.”

Tsunoda says his grasp of English made the situation challenging because he believed he wasn’t allowed his trainer alongside him when being questioned, and could not seek help from his RB team either.

“There was my physio I travel with; obviously when you have a question or when you go to customs you go individually. Suddenly I went to the room, he just put me in the room and we had a conversation like, ‘Can I bring the person that I travel with and maybe he can help a little bit to explain a bit more about myself and the situation in Formula 1?’ But they didn’t allow me to bring that friend or even call anyone.

“I wanted to call the team as well or Formula 1, maybe a person that can help me, but in that room you can’t do anything, so just [on your own].”