Formula 1 is playing big in Las Vegas

In 1981 and 1982, Formula 1 held a Grand Prix in the parking lot behind the Caesars Palace Hotel, which neither the drivers nor on site received. More than 40 years after the two flop events, the premier class of motorsport wants to make the race a spectacle when it returns to the US players’ paradise on Sunday (7 a.m., live on ServusTV). But not everyone likes that.

Last year, the Formula 1 rights holder bought an area about 22 football fields in size behind the legendary strip, Las Vegas Boulevard, which is lined by the famous hotel complexes, for around 224 million euros. The pit area was built there and the start-finish straight is also there. After Austin (Texas) and Miami (Florida), the Grand Prix in the entertainment metropolis is expected to cause Formula 1 sales to skyrocket.

But there were enough problems in the preparation of the spectacular project in the players’ paradise. The project, which cost the equivalent of around 460 million euros, was under immense time pressure, one had to come to terms with the demanding neighborhood, and a strike by employees in the hotel and restaurant industry was only averted at short notice. In addition, traffic around the city center circuit will temporarily come to a standstill during the Grand Prix weekend. Not least because of this, the Formula 1 management apologized to the annoyed neighbors. “I would like to apologize to all residents of Las Vegas. We appreciate your forbearance and willingness to tolerate us,” said the CEO of rights holder Liberty Media, Greg Maffei.

Chief organizer Renee Wilm is also aware that Formula 1 is causing a lot of confusion in the City of Sin. “You have to keep in mind that you’re essentially shutting down a city that’s operating 24 hours a day, you’re shutting down a lot of business, including 60,000 hotel rooms. The amount of transportation planning, security planning and logistical planning that was required to organize this event was truly monumental.”

The cold as a hot topic

When returning to Las Vegas, the cold that is currently prevailing there is also a hot topic for the teams. “If the temperature of the racetrack is in the single-digit range, then we can get a rough idea of ​​what to expect based on the winter tests in Spain. Then it becomes very, very difficult to get the tires really warm,” says Andrew Shovlin, the lead engineer from Mercedes. The already established world champion Max Verstappen approaches the matter pragmatically. “I’m not interested in the show. I just go there, do my thing and then leave.”

General Motors is coming

General Motors will enter Formula 1 in the 2028 season with the Cadillac brand as an engine supplier. The US automobile company has now announced this. The drive units are explicitly intended to be available to Michael Andretti’s planned team, but whose fate is still unclear. “We are thrilled that our Andretti-Cadillac project is powered by a GM engine,” said GM President Mark Reuss.

The company’s move puts the Formula 1 management under pressure before Las Vegas. Ex-racing driver Andretti has already submitted an application approved by the world association FIA to be included in the eleventh team. FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem is in favor of it, but the established teams have so far been strictly against it because of their fear of losing money.

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