Mirror Sport F1 correspondent Daniel Moxon took a good look at the Las Vegas Grand Prix while covering the Formula 1 race on site in Sin City and was unsurprised by what he saw
This week I got the chance to experience covering the Las Vegas Grand Prix on site for the first time. I admittedly went into it with preconceived notions of what it was going to be like but, as I sit writing this in the departures lounge at Harry Reid International Airport ahead of a long journey home, I cannot say I was surprised by anything to do with this event.
I expected it to be a little more polished than the previous two editions of Formula 1‘s modern-day flagship event, but to still be able to see some gaping holes which made it far from perfect. That was exactly how it was.
The most obvious example came on Thursday night local time, when second practice was ended prematurely by a loose manhole cover – the second time in three years that the metal discs on the Strip Circuit have caused disruption. Thankfully, this time there were no disastrous consequences like in 2023 when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was destroyed by one.
Credit to the FIA and F1, they were swift and effective in their response. Overnight, the issue with the manhole cover that was spotted moving was identified and fixed, and it was one of 15 in total on the racing line to which additional welding was carried out as a precaution. There were no more manhole issues for the rest of the weekend.
But it was symptomatic of the teething problems that remain at an event into which F1 has invested so much, including the construction of a permanent pit building right in the city. One, incidentally, which has no room for a media centre. So reporters have to work in the Tuscany Suites and Casino, a 10-15 walk away from the top end of the paddock which makes it a horribly inefficient race to cover.
I appreciate that is an irrelevant gripe for anyone who doesn’t work in F1 media, but it is an example of several elements which have either been overlooked or, at the very least, need more attention from organisers. Another being the bathroom situation in the paddock, with one toilet block in the middle of the teams’ hospitality units far too small at peak times, and lacking hot water.
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The F1 Hub for fans was situated within the Venetian Resort, a pop-up store within the Grand Canal Shoppes which, when I visited on race day, had a four-hour long queue lining up just to get in. I dread to think how much lost revenue there was due to people looking at that line and walking away. A larger or second location seems prudent for next year.
Inside, much of the merchandise was priced at $100 dollars or above – not unexpected for an event of this magnitude. I was slightly disappointed to note that merchandise for the all-female F1 Academy series, which held its season finale as a support event over the weekend, was priced the same as F1. I’m no marketing or commerce expert, but surely providing a cheaper offering to get the customers who don’t want to pay over the odds for F1 merchandise to then get your branding out there more would be a better idea.
Despite that, fan experience seemed to be largely positive, though it is perhaps telling that official attendance figures have not yet been released at the time of writing. The grandstands seemed to be full on Saturday night for the main event but, on Thursday in particular, there were not a great number of people watching on for practice despite ticket prices being lowered this year.
Race-goers may have loved it, but many of the locals I spoke to during my time in Las Vegas had a different view. The fact the track encompasses some of the city’s main roads makes getting about difficult at times and the taxi drivers in particular hate everything about it. The driver who took me from my hotel to the airport on Sunday lunchtime described F1 as being “f***ing terrible” for the city’s inhabitants.
The action on track wasn’t as entertaining as, for example, the 2023 race. There was plenty of action on the first lap but not much thereafter. The event overall received quite a bit of praise from drivers after the end of the Grand Prix, though many still feel work needs to be done to try to make the cold street track less slippery, though that will be difficult when organisers are committed to a night race in mid-November.
Indeed, the big drama came after the race had finished when championship leader Lando Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri were both disqualified, because their cars had failed post-race checks. McLaren said the error had been unintentional but apologised to their drivers for getting their car setups wrong, which had led to a punishment which has allowed race winner Max Verstappen back into the title conversation.
In truth, the Las Vegas GP is a metaphor for the city itself – bright and shiny at first glance, but the cracks in the foundations are very much visible when you look behind the wallpaper. But unless the commercial side of the event declines in the coming years then it is here to stay, warts and all.
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Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
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