Catch up on all our coverage from the Las Vegas Grand Prix right here.
As Charles Leclerc dove down the inside of Turn 14 to swipe second place away from Sergio Pérez at the end of Formula One’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, the cheer that went up around me in the grandstands was the loudest I heard all weekend. For all the talk about the commercial opportunities presented by F1’s newest event, a great race was always what the fans wanted.
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Between fireworks and F1-themed wedding chapels, Keith Urban and more Elvis impersonators than one can count, the Las Vegas GP was always going to be associated with glitz and glamor. But many drivers and fans alike were concerned that the balance between sport and spectacle would tip too far in favor of the latter. Max Verstappen vocalized this sentiment on Wednesday, saying that the grand prix was going to be “99 percent show and one percent sporting event.”
Even if he was right, that one percent delivered on Saturday, providing the kind of fight for the win that’s been too rare in 2023, played out between Max Verstappen, Leclerc and Pérez. Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton deemed the new event a success thanks to the quality of the race, saying, “For all those that were so negative about the weekend, saying it’s all about show, blah, blah, blah… I think Vegas proved them wrong.”
Other fans in attendance may have been there for the side attractions such as the Sphere and Major Lazer, but I had come to my second grand prix to see some wheel-to-wheel action — and I got it.
The on-track spectacle
In a town where luck plays a crucial role, I had the good fortune to dodge Thursday’s Free Practice fiasco, having opted to spend a calm night away from the Strip before two nights of action. I attended the Friday and Saturday sessions, sitting in the grandstands in front of Turn 7, in the T-Mobile zone. The on-track highlights I witnessed included Leclerc and Kevin Magnussen nearly colliding during Free Practice 3 and Esteban Ocon’s daring pass on Logan Sargeant on Lap 14 of the race. Practice also featured numerous drivers missing Turn 7 as they homed in on their braking point.
The sensory experience of the grandstands was nonstop. The air was heavy with the smell of fuel and exhaust fumes when the cars were running. Whiffs of marijuana smoke frequently wafted by. My vision was dominated not by the track but rather by the Sphere sitting right across it. While the futuristic venue was put to good use during the race – displaying new race leaders, a gigantic yellow orb for the safety cars, and surely the largest checkered flag in F1 history – the rest of the time it was a giant billboard, a tiresome monument to commercialism. How the drivers didn’t let it distract them is beyond me.
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The soundtrack of the experience was chiefly the roar of the engines, interspersed with Mexican fans serenading Pérez and cheers for each race leader change. The fans around me were having a good time but were a bit more reserved than the strangers you might see high-fiving one another at an NFL game. The T-Mobile zone also came with the grand prix’s version of stadium PA announcers, though their commentary was often mercifully overpowered by the engine noise. They didn’t seem well-versed in the details of F1, failing to inform the crowd that Leclerc had won pole until the moment had well and truly passed, and later misunderstanding Verstappen’s need to serve his five-second penalty at his first pit stop.
Thankfully, I had better ways to follow the action I couldn’t see from my seat. Large video screens displayed the broadcast, complete with the timing info fans regularly see on television. Many fans across the track from me spent much of the race watching those screens, turning their backs on the track.
The event also offered free radio packs and earbuds to fans who either downloaded the race’s smartphone app or had an American Express credit card. The radios allowed fans to listen to F1’s official broadcast, a far superior source of information than the venue’s announcers. These radios were particularly helpful throughout the race, during most of which the F1 app’s live timing wasn’t working. My questions about tire strategy were helpfully answered by The Athletic’s live blog!
Life in the fan zone
On Friday and Saturday, I showed up two to three hours before the cars hit the track. Combined with the two-and-a-half hour break between Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Friday, that gave me plenty of time to take in the many distractions of the fan zone. Highlights included a pit stop challenge, testing how quickly fans could change a real F1 tire, and a reflex challenge mimicking an exercise drivers do. It’s important to note that I crushed my brother’s score in the latter, while my brother-in-law claimed that his similarly inferior score was a mistake on the operator’s part.
I’m tragically too old now to enjoy the constant stream of electronic dance music performances that were taking place in the fan zone. Thanks in no small part to these acts, a young fan remarked that this event’s vibe felt identical to that of the Miami Grand Prix. More entertaining to me was the pair of marshals who passed the time before the race playing cards trackside, until the wind scattered their deck across the pavement.
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The food in this fan zone was included in the cost of admission and happily upscale, though the obligatory cans of Red Bull on offer were not complimentary. With temperatures in the mid-40s F, vendors were also walking around selling coffee and hot chocolate, with handy nips of liquor on sale to go with them.
At the end of each session, the event organizers wisely opened the emergency exits, allowing for a quick and easy mass departure. More merchandise was available for purchase outside the venue, though these shirts didn’t appear to be officially sanctioned. But who can blame these entrepreneurs for trying to ride the wave of money changing hands thanks to this event? The tens of thousands of fans attempting to get home at once was certainly a bonanza for the city’s rideshare drivers. That process was organized well by the event, with dedicated areas for pickup.
The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was always likely to be a commercial success for F1. A great race made it a fantastic fan experience as well. If the race had instead been largely processional and dominated by Verstappen from the outset, the supporting entertainment and amenities, while nice to have, would not have been enough for me.
Happily, the “one percent sporting event” that Verstappen spoke of won out over the “99 percent show.” And so, unlike many who leave this city rueing their rotten luck, I won big on a gamble I can’t wait to make again.
(Lead photo of fans at the 2023 Las Vegas GP: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)