Formula 1: Las Vegas Rolls the Dice and Wins Big

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was held over a week ago. We are still decompressing from the late-night fun.

It has been 40 years since Las Vegas hosted a Formula 1 race. Thanks to Netflix's hit show “Drive to Survive," the U.S. has a new obsession. The current rights holder, Liberty Media, has three races in American cities: Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas.

I returned from an overlanding trip to the Mojave Desert and I got a call from Ineos to join them for Friday's Qualifying Session in Las Vegas. It was an invitation that my 10-year-old self-had been waiting on for a long time. For those who may not know, Ineos is a British chemical company founded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, that has recently become an automaker. Their first vehicle is the Ineos Grenadier. Inspired by the Land Rover Defender, it is powered by a BMW-sourced engine. It is an old-school overlander vehicle designed to tackle the toughest terrains. Oh, and they are a one-third shareholder of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?

Memories of Rubber and Fuel

Growing up in southern California, I remember hearing racing cars near the Port of Long Beach, where my stepfather worked. You couldn’t help feeling the excitement of seeing purpose-built racing cars speed down the street. Coupled with the smell of racing fuel and burning rubber, it was a feeling that stayed with me all these years. You would experience the same flashback I felt seeing the sleek modern-day Formula 1 race cars hitting the Vegas Strip.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix came with its share of skepticism, criticism, and cost. Cue the O'Jays 1973 hit, “For the Love of Money.” Liberty spent $600 million that including $240 million for a plot of land to build the permanent F1 Paddock building that houses the team garages, offices and other facilities.

Obstructed Views and Butt-hurt Pricing

Before my arrival, I read the headlines. Tickets and hotel room prices were priced stratospherically. A week before arrival, it seemed a revolt was in place with ticket and hotel prices plummeting. The locals also made their voices heard about street closures and obstructed views of the famous Las Vegas Strip, otherwise known as Las Vegas Boulevard.

The 3.2-mile street track would loop around Caesar’s Palace, the Bellagio, the Cosmopolitan and Venetian hotels, among others. The most considerable outrage occurred nine minutes into practice. The Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr., struck a loose water access cover, doing an estimated $1.5 million damage to his car and delaying the practice until 3 a.m. This didn’t deter the hardcore F1 fans who would have to wait two and a half hours until practice resumed. Unfortunately, at 2:30 a.m., they were told to vacate the premises. Moments later, anger and ridicule exploded on social media via memes and snarky headlines. It made you wonder if The Las Vegas Grand Prix was crumbling apart before the green flag flew.

With this in mind, I expected a nightmare flying from Phoenix to Las Vegas. Passengers were packed in like sardines all wearing F1 team logos. I mean, why else would you be coming to Vegas? The airport and the city were awash in Formula 1 advertisements. It helped make the city more colorful and exciting than it already was.

During my travels, I always asking the locals their opinions and thoughts about events occurring in their city. My driver shared that he was happy to see the city of Las Vegas host F1 fans. “We lost so much during the pandemic,” he said. He also mentioned the street closures were not a nuisance, as reported in the media. To prove this, he drove me thru part of the street track where fans were walking on the side of the road taking pictures. There was a sense of excitement of a city showing off its hospitality and glitz.

Hours later, I took in the course from the grandstands of the Vegas Club. It became clear why the race had to be in Vegas and a night race, at that. Las Vegas is a city that can accommodate over 300,000 spectators at once. This city didn’t earn a reputation as the entertainment capital of the world for nothing.

For my 10-year-old self, the right place and time.

For my 10-year-old self, the moment was complete. Covering NASCAR, off-road racing, and the experience of an F1 qualifying session led us here. It was the right place at the right time.

The City of Las Vegas rolled the dice and won. But this is a city where the House always wins. Elvis said it best: Viva Las Vegas.