There should be no surprise at the hype surrounding the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix. Sin City is itself the very epitome of hype with its lavish themed super sized Casino hotels and neon lights glaring out from every angle.
For the first time in history, F1 has built its own racing facility having acquired an entire block of the city to host its paddock and start/finish grandstands. Fans registered to f1.com are regularly bombarded with emails about the event throughout the year and with a record number of hospitality seats to fill at a single F1 event, the sales pitch is relentless.
Vegas is set for a minimum run of ten years of Formula One weekends with the inaugural event in 2023 bringing in record receipts for the hotels, casinos and restaurants. Formula One eclipsed the financial benefits that even the super bowl brings to town and has turned around the city’s leanest financial period into one of bounty.
F1 Las Vegas causes 35,000 strong class action
A class action is underway with 35,000 complainants seeking compensation for the debacle that was the opening day of the Grand Prix weekend in 2023. Just nine minutes into free practice one, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari hit a loose manhole cover whilst accelerating along the strip.
The session was immediately cancelled as a host of inspections were scheduled for the scores of other drain covers located around the circuit. Such was the extent of the task, the second practice session was delayed until around two in the morning, by which time the union employed stewards were beyond their working time regulations allowance for the day.
Fans who had waited for several hours into the small hours of the morning, were evicted from their seats with just nine minutes of running on the day.
Max Verstappen railed against F1’s new venue in the desert claiming before the weekend it wold be “99% show, 1% sport,” yet even the unenthusiastic world champion had a smile on his face, when he was first to take the chequered flag.
Brown describes gulf between Verstappen and Norris
Marko down on Vegas hype
Red Bull’s advisor and young driver mentor, Dr. Helmut Marko, is grumbling about the up coming visit to Sin City together with the fact he dislikes the fact that the season is ending with a triple header.
“This crazy city, the slot machines you have to pass as you walk through the hotel lobby, the racing at night…. Well. The luck last year was that the racing was great, but the event as a whole didn’t live up to the high expectations,” Marko tells OE24.
The Austrian notes the displeasure last year from the locals who suffered months of disruption while the kerbs along the route were readied with fittings to which the barriers and railings are attached.
“Because almost everything is cordoned off, you have to make long diversions everywhere. Because of the poor flight connections, we also have to arrive a day early,” Marko complains.
Colapinto’s manager: “You all need to shut up”
Race across the world
Following the Saturday night race in Las Vegas, the teams tear down their garages and hospitality venues through the night as they dash to make the connecting flights to the middle east. With journey times in excess of fifteen hours and a time difference of ten hours between Vegas and Qatar, the is one of the most tasking trips the F1 have to take each year.
A similar journey from Canada to Baku was scheduled by Bernie Ecclestone one year, but severe criticism of the back to back nature of the events combined with travel logistics and time differences meant the F1 supremo was eventually forced to back down.
Marko is unimpressed with the length of the calendar this year and the toll it is taking on the traveling F1 circus folk. “This triple header at the end is insane,” concluded the 81 year old Austrian.
Max Verstappen can stitch up the F1 drivers title race in Las Vegas pretty much so long as he finishes ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. The McLaren driver had been closing in on the reigning world champion until he stopped the rot last time out with one of the best drives of all time in treacherous conditions down in Sao Paulo.
Toto Wolff explains Hamilton slur
Ferrari bring new flexi wing
Meanwhile, Ferrari who waited several race weekends for the result of the FIA investigation into flexi wings allegedly employed by McLaren have designed and produced their own, following the sport’s governing body deciding against outlawing the practice.
Fred Vasseur had complained his team had lost 1-2 months of development time whilst the FIA dallied. “There was frustration because at one stage we were waiting for the decision of the FIA when they installed the cameras [from Spa],” the Ferrari boss told motorsport.com.
He added the team believed the FIA would outlaw the practice and so waited. “We were convinced that it will go for the ‘no go’. And it went for the ‘go’! So probably we lost one or two months.”
F1 insider reveals Verstappen team mate
Since Leclerc’s win in front of the tifosi in Monza, the Scuderia have hunted down and overtaken Red Bull in the race for the constructors’ championship. Leclerc then claimed victory at the US GP which was followed up by a Carlos Sainz win next time out in Mexico. Red Bull stopped the rot in Brazil with a first win in ten race weekends for the reigning world champion.
Red Bull may finally announce their plans for 2025 in Las Vegas, with Sergio Perez widely expected to be replaced. Perez has been adamant in recent weeks he will be driving at Red Bull next year, but paddock insiders appear to think otherwise.
In his weekly column, veteran F1 reporter Joe Saward claims Red Bull have settled on replacing Checo with Williams protege Franco Colapinto. “He’s going to drive the second Red Bull,” Saward says. “Sorry Mexico. That’s the plan, whether it works I can’t tell you. I think the chances are it will come off. They just have to work it out. That will take some time.”
Binotto on Vasseur impact at Ferrari
Ferrari are now properly in the hunt for the 2024 Formula One constructors’ championship. Their title charge faltered earlier this season when following Leclerc’s win in Monaco backed up by a P3 from Sainz moved them within 24 points of Red Bull. Yet just two race weekends later in Barcelona, the Scuderia brought what they believed to be ‘game changing’ new floor design to Barcelona which with hindsight set the team back for most of the European season.
The engineers in Maranello set to work to reverse their mistake and come the team’s home race in Monza, a redesigned floor was introduced which had an immediate impact resulting in a glorious victory for Leclerc in front of the tifosi.
Since the Grand Prix in Italy, Ferrari have collected two further wins together with three additional podiums and over the stretch from Monza have outscored the flying McLaren team… READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
