2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Las Vegas, Nov 16 - 18

[ecapox]

Oh how I wish for the old days. I wish we could have Kimi in his prime at this event.

Pre-Race
Interviewer: "Kimi. Give us your feelings on this new track?"
Kimi: "Bwoah. It's a track with turns and long straights."
Interviewer: "How do you think the McLaren will drive around here?"
Kimi: "Like a car."

Post Race
Interviewer: "Kimi. Shame your race ended on lap 2. Can you tell us what happened?"
Kimi: "Bwoah. Engine gave out."
Interviewer: "How is the team taking this? Did you talk when you got back into the pits?"
Kimi: "I havent spoken to them yet. I walked to The Venician to have a drink. I'll worry about the debrief tomorrow."

[JordanMugen]

99% show 1% sporting event is what LM dream of.

Based on poor grandstand attendance for driver presentation i'd say this wont work out.

That might be linked more to ridiculous ticket prices than a shoddy show, but it's probably a bit of both. People usually want to see racing, not drivers paraded around as if its a privilege to see them just standing there.

I don't understand how qualifying at Midnight and racing at 10pm (despite a 4.30pm sunset) in refrigerator-like 5 to 8 deg C temperatures (with no support races whatsoever) is meant to make the Las Vegas Grand Prix a spectactor favourite?!

Qualifying is at 3am on the East Coast of the US, which seem ridiculous for one of Formula One's marquee US events. Holding a marquee US event at European-friendly session times makes no sense.

[Mogster]

The session timings are hardly European friendly, it’s early Sunday morning.

I thought someone said earlier in the thread that the city had asked for these timings to minimise disruption and maximise hospitality revenue.

[CHT]

LV opening ceremony is really showbiz turbo charged. wondering if they are going to do this every year

[falonso81]

Qualifying is at 3am on the East Coast of the US, which seem ridiculous for one of Formula One's marquee US events. Holding a marquee US event at European-friendly session times makes no sense.

Welcome to Capitalism.

[chrisc90]

https://fb.watch/olYBhw5HVU/

Can’t help but think hitting some of those barriers if you get it wrong in the corners after the high speed is going to hurt. A lot.

[AR3-GP]

https://fb.watch/olYBhw5HVU/

Can’t help but think hitting some of those barriers if you get it wrong in the corners after the high speed is going to hurt. A lot.

It looks narrower than I expected.

[mendis]

https://fb.watch/olYBhw5HVU/

Can’t help but think hitting some of those barriers if you get it wrong in the corners after the high speed is going to hurt. A lot.

I wonder how different is this from Singapore, Saudi or the tunnel in Monaco? The barrier quality is all the same across the circuits, so the impacts shouldn't be very different either. To me that lap looks exactly like Saudi.

[cplchanb]

To be fair, he gets $50 million a year to do this and F1 needs to continue growing to help pay that.

Verstappen felt like “a clown” at glitzy Las Vegas F1 opening ceremony

The drivers at the opening ceremony

Along with a drone show and musical performances, the event included a section during which the drivers emerged from giant boxes on the pit straight and were introduced to the crowd.

Verstappen, who also opted to miss a later VIP event at the Wynn’s hotel complex that F1 boss Stefano Domenicali asked all the drivers to attend, made it clear that he is not enjoying the Las Vegas experience thus far.

"For me you can all skip these things," the Red Bull driver said when asked about the ceremony. "It's not about the singer, it's just standing up there, you look like a clown."

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https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vers ... /10546914/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_CMnPIXwAA ... name=small ..https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_CKiwmXoAA ... me=360x360

F1 doesnt pay for max. RB does and theres already plenty of RB promos to more than double up on his salary. when you only display the drivers for the last 2min of the show you can clearly see how wrongly aligned FOM is.

[Hoffman900]

To be fair, he gets $50 million a year to do this and F1 needs to continue growing to help pay that.

.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vers ... /10546914/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_CMnPIXwAA ... name=small ..https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_CKiwmXoAA ... me=360x360

F1 doesnt pay for max. RB does and theres already plenty of RB promos to more than double up on his salary. when you only display the drivers for the last 2min of the show you can clearly see how wrongly aligned FOM is.

Pro motorsports only exists as a marketing exercise. It’s there to sell cars and products, and hopefully make promoters money. If all the advertisers / promoters “get theirs”, then the drivers get their’s too. The bigger the “brand”, the more profitable, the more money drivers make. If F1 becomes even more valuable, then Max can renegotiate for more money. It’s that simple. A series in decline means the money dries up.

So I get it, it’s taking away from the sport big time, but despite all the hand waving, it’s never been about “the sport”. It’s entertainment that is funded by advertisers.

Watching the onboard reminds me of this:


Always cracks me up all the hoops stand-alone tracks have to go through in the name of “safety” and “quality befitting the series”, but an ice rink in a concrete jungle is fine.

As an American, this whole thing is getting a big yawn from me.

[Mogster]

Looks narrower than I’d imagined, like a flat Monaco almost.

[DGP123]

As an American, this whole thing is getting a big yawn from me.

It’s been a big yawn for two years. This regulation has been pretty awful, like the last, and the racing arguably worse. Don’t see why any American would be remotely interested. Just another horrible bland street track, with heli shots of casinos to entertain us during red flags. Oh joy. Highlights, for me

[AR3-GP]

Just another horrible bland street track, with heli shots of casinos to entertain us during red flags. Oh joy. Highlights, for me

I think it's actually one of the more scenic street circuits:


I'd keep Vegas and COTA, and get rid of Miami.

[Mogster]

Just another horrible bland street track, with heli shots of casinos to entertain us during red flags. Oh joy. Highlights, for me

I think it's actually one of the more scenic street circuits:


I'd keep Vegas and COTA, and get rid of Miami.

Agree. At least this is a true destination race. Miami is an abomination.

[mendis]

https://fb.watch/olYBhw5HVU/

Can’t help but think hitting some of those barriers if you get it wrong in the corners after the high speed is going to hurt. A lot.

It looks narrower than I expected.

It's probably a field of vision issue with the onboard camera. Here is another video covering the cars from outside cameras.