Why the Formula One Race in Las Vegas is turning out to be a disaster.
We are less than a month from the highly anticipated Las Vegas GP, one of Formula One’s newest Grand Prix. With the sport growing in the United States, F1 decided to add another race in the of one of the most iconic cities in the states. However, there are several backlashes because of it that could lead to a disastrous weekend.
Controversy Around Hotel Workers and Scenery Changes
Late last month, several Las Vegas hospitality workers threatened to strike after failing to get a new contract from the union. According to AP News, the workers are demanding higher wages with better working conditions and job security. A strike has already begun in Los Angeles, and Vegas could be next.
The biggest hotels being impacted by this are the ones on the Vegas strip, where the F1 track is set to take place. President Biden has already supported the striking of General Motors workers in Michigan, which has only put more fuel to the fire for the hotel workers.
If there is a shortage of hotel workers during the race weekend, it will cause chaos for visiting fans staying at the hotels. Not to mention that F1 have destroyed the Caesars Palace iconic rotunda to make room for the track, along with other changes to the strip. Safe to say that Vegas will not look the same with the new addition of the street track.
The Prices of Tickets
When the Miami GP started in 2022, fans were outraged of the amount of money it was for just a grandstand ticket. It was an average of $1,200 for a single three-day pass to the race, nearly three times as much as the others. The Singapore night race is only an average of about $527 .
For Vegas, the average price is as low as $1,600, the most expensive race this season. With the amount of money Formula One and Liberty Media are spending on constructing the track, they need more help other than sponsors to pay for the construction. The general admission tickets were all sold out, and they were only about $500.
However, that does not guarantee a great view of the race. Even hotels that have a view of the track are averaging about $5000 per night. Fans who bought tickets to the race not only have access for the race, but it also includes food, drinks and access to entertainment, which will include performances by J Balvin, Major Lazer and Mark Ronson.
Drivers Adjusting to the Pavement of the Track
There were a lot of complaints from drivers during the inaugural Miami race last year about the track quality, especially the pavement. Part of the construction of the track was an entirely new pavement of the Vegas strip over the old one. The issue is driving on a fresh new track is not always too easy in a Formula One car.
With little preparation time for the drivers leading up to the race, they will only have Friday’s practice day to adjust to the new track. The Vegas GP will have 17 turns and two DRS zones along with four straights, which will give the drivers a lot of room to accelerate compared to other street tracks.
With Mercedes adding upgrades to their floor, this could see a favor on their part, who are in the fight for second place in the constructor’s championship with Ferrari. The biggest downside for the GP is that both the drivers and team constructors have already been decided, with Max Verstappen taking his third title and Red Bull winning its second constructors’ in a row.
Nevertheless, the Vegas F! GP is set to be new and exciting, but it could be a disaster if things do not go as planned heading into the week of November 13th.
