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Big and brash, but F1 is taking expensive gamble in Sin City
Evening Standard
|November 16, 2023
Interest is massively on the up in the US, but fears are sport is only in Vegas for the show
FORMULA One is gambling big on Las Vegas to the tune of at least £400million and there is no guarantee it will pay off.
F1 owner Liberty Media has broken from its usual model to act as promoter and also to run a race on a Saturday night for the first time in the sport's history, the aim being to reduce disruption in order to use Sin City's famous Strip. Even U2 have been shunted from their residency at the Sphere, with F1 hiring that out for the weekend, too.
There is no denying the inaugural Vegas GP will prove eye-catching, as cars hit a top speed of 212mph down a 1.4-mile stretch of the Strip, passing such iconic hotels as the Venetian, Caesars Palace and Bellagio. Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei promises it will be "iconic".
A sell-out in excess of 100,000 spectators a day is expected. Prices in some quarters are astronomical, notably a £4m Emperor Package, which includes a five-night stay in a 10,000square foot villa at Caesars, a private chef and Rolls-Royce, among other luxuries.
Expect race weekend to be as brash, bold and in your face as you would imagine a marriage between F1 owners obsessed with the US market and the city itself.
This story is from the November 16, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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