The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix debuted last week, however, the newest Formula 1 circuit has faced criticisms about the event.
The Federation Internationale l’Automobile (FIA) and Formula 1 made the Las Vegas Grand Prix the spectacle of the 2023 Formula 1 calendar. They have organised a ‘Race to the Altar’ chapel, Elvis Presley tributes, and even a television special ‘Netflix Cup’. It is not the first time that the pinnacle of the racing world has taken place in the vibrant American gambling capital. Bernie Ecclestone, former chief executive of the Formula One Group, held a race back in 1981 in the unsuitable venue of the Caesars Palace casino car park.
Now, over forty years later, the location is back, and all the stops have been brought out for its return, bringing as many controversies as the last event.
One of the three straights in the track goes through ‘The Las Vegas Strip’, which has caused difficulties for many locals. Developing the roads to be sufficient for the Grand Prix has led to several construction delays and unannounced closures. As a result, residents have become aggravated by this construction, as many struggle to get to work or university. The University of Nevada even considered shutting the institution and hosting virtual learning for their students facing delays.
A serious issue arose, as construction worker, Tizzy Antonio, sadly passed away because of an injury he faced during the construction of the Grand Prix grandstands. Formula 1 have failed to comment on his death, despite his passing being a result of the work being done for its event.
Due to these delays, key areas for the Grand Prix were still being built on the Wednesday before the race. The racing paddock for teams only fi nished this penultimate day of the race week, meaning million-pound race cars were being stored in tents and shipping containers on the road beside the construction work.
With the construction, the layout of the brand-new race track has raised serious doubts about the quality of racing. The track has three lengthy straights, including an almost 1.2- mile flat-out section down the Las Vegas Strip. As many motorsport fans know, this will become a challenge for teams, as the tyre cool down on long straights will hinder their racing ability. Teams must consider the implications of this, which will bring an interesting race.
On a fan-based level, Formula 1 claimed that they hosted this race to ‘expand the American audience’. A local start time of 10:00 pm means that the East Coast of America will have a start time of 1:00 am. Th ese start times have favoured their massive European audience, allowing them to watch at a more reasonable time.
Alongside this, the sky-high raceday ticket prices have hindered the opportunities for locals to watch this milestone for their city. The cheapest ticket being priced at around $500 has left residents and fans upset that they cannot watch the event.
Additionally, the lack of tickets sold has been considered in the construction process, as thick barriers have been put up to prevent anyone who does not have a ticket from seeing the race for free. This has included the multiple bridges which span the Las Vegas roads and road-side access. Plus, the FIA asked all hotels which had a view of the track to pay a fee for the privilege, leading to hotel staff striking in disgust.
Finally, FIA and Formula 1 bosses have come out and admitted that they forgot to consider the weather implications of the race. This will be the coldest Formula 1 race in history, hitting 3-6 degrees during the race.
For Formula 1, their newest track will most defi nitely go down in motorsport history, however, the reasons for this may not be the ones originally expected.