Formula 1 drivers reacted differently to their first experience of the series’ new race in Las Vegas, and its two most successful active competitors offered very different takes.
Max Verstappen, who clinched his third championship over a month before the race, was unimpressed with the razzmatazz surrounding the race and the simplistic track layout.“It’s 99% show and 1% sporting event,” he told media in Las Vegas. “It’s not really my thing.”
An hour earlier he and his 19 F1 rivals had participated in a lavish opening ceremony featuring a roster of celebrities. Verstappen made it clear he had little time for “standing up there” and being made to “look like a clown.”
F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media has toiled for years to add this third American round to the calendar, persuading the city and its entertainment industry to accept the huge disruption which hosting a street-based grand prix involves, and investing almost half a billion dollars to make it happen.
But Verstappen doubts his criticism of the race will have any bearing on its success. “They still make money if I like it or not,” he said.
“So it’s not up to me, but I’m also not going to fake it. I just always voice my opinion on positive things and negative things, that’s just how I am.
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“Some people like [the] show a bit more, I don’t like it at all. I grew up just looking at the performance side of things and that’s how I see it as well. So for me I like to be in Vegas but not so much for racing.”
“So, of course, I understand their side of it as well. But I’m just voicing my opinion on the performance side of things.”
Verstappen is not alone in his misgivings about F1 embracing showbusiness in an effort to sell itself to the US market. Others were not as trenchant in their criticisms, however.
“It’s definitely more of a show now than what it was a few years ago,” said Lando Norris. “To be honest, I just want to come here and drive and come here and race.
“I’ve never been the biggest fan of doing these types of things like we did earlier,” he said after the opening ceremony. “It’s not what I enjoy doing.
“I know a lot of this stuff is just part of it and I’m not saying anything against it. But I do this job because I want to come and drive and race cars and things like that. I’ve never been the biggest fan of doing these types of big events and shows and things like that.”
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For others like Fernando Alonso, the fact F1 has taken the rare step of investing in and promoting its own race justifies it being treated different.
“I think places like this one and with the investment that has been done and the place that we are racing, I think it deserves a little bit different treatment and a little bit of extra show [like] what we did today,” he said. “I’m okay to do extra for these type of events.”
Verstappen’s 2021 world championship rival Lewis Hamilton has strongly advocated expanding F1’s presence in America, as well as other countries. Hamilton, who is co-producing a movie about F1 which was supposed to film scenes at the race this weekend, said he supports CEO Stefano Domenicali’s strategy to grow its popularity by bringing it to cities like Las Vegas.
“I hear there’s a lot of people complaining about the direction that Stefano and Liberty have been going but I think they’ve been doing an amazing job,” said Hamilton. “This sport is growing massively, it’s going to grow even more once we get this movie out.
“I’m on to Stefano because I really want to get the race in South Africa or in Africa, so if it’s not South Africa, it will be somewhere else there hopefully, because we’re on all the other continents.”
He expects many major figures from the American entertainment industry to appear at the Saturday night race.
“Everybody I know in Hollywood is coming,” he said. “There’s a lot of high-net-worth people coming, there’s going to be a lot of business going on this weekend and hopefully a good spectacle for people to watch. Even for those back home who have maybe never been to Vegas, they’ll still get to see what Vegas is about.”
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2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix
- Tost blames track inspection oversight for Sainz’s damage in Las Vegas
- Hard to repeat “rare” combination of factors behind Vegas shunt – Norris
- Las Vegas Grand Prix “got a lot more hate than it deserved” – Sargeant
- Williams’ “incredible” Vegas qualifying made us “poor” in race – Vowles
- Piastri is first rookie to take two fastest laps in a season since Hamilton
MichaelN
16th November 2023, 19:37
Hamilton’s over the top enthusiasm aside, his push for a race in Africa is spot on. And since there basically aren’t any suitable permanent tracks, a race like this one in Las Vegas could be a model for a temporary city track.
Hopefully they’ll look beyond South Africa as well; places like Nigeria, Ivory Coast or Ghana are probably attractive to a lot of sponsors as well.
Asd
16th November 2023, 19:47
An African race is needed as much as all those nonsense Arabic races. I don’t see a single reason to push for them.
some racing fan
16th November 2023, 21:12
They should get rid of the Saudi race and replace it with Kyalami. But since Kyalami can’t find any money to stage an F1 race and the Saudi race has unlimited funding, we are where we are now. Money talks…
Tiaki Porangi
17th November 2023, 4:14
Hate to have to be the one to break it to you – Africans, too, enjoy motorsport. I know it must sound really strange to you – but they really are people too.
Dex
16th November 2023, 22:38
Sadly, I can’t imagine a race around Lagos being safe for drivers, let alone foreign fans. It’s just the way it is at the moment, there are limited safe areas in that city; at least for foreigners. Not to mention that this country is practically in war (we only hear about Ukraine and Israel, but there’s much more of that in Africa). I wish we could see a Nigerian GP though, or somewhere else in Sub-Saharan Africa, but I don’t think we’ll see that in the next 20 years, if in our lifetime. South Africa is probably the only semi-realistic location, or some of the Arabic-speaking North African countries.
Sure, it’s sad to see so many races in a small Gulf region, and a huge, whole continent excluded. There are bigger issues than F1 to be solved there first though.
I also think that South America deserves more than one Brazilian GP. Wouldn’t Argentine GP be cool? But what am I even hoping for, when all we can get is more street circuits, even if they ever expand into new countries and continents. Kyalami would be nice, but that’s not happening either…
Scalextric (@scalextric)
16th November 2023, 19:57
Formula 1 and sport in general shouldn’t be staged for high-net-worth people.
I won’t watch live as I’m currently on the East Coast of the US and fast asleep, along with most potential US viewers.
theRealMax (@millionus)
16th November 2023, 20:01
Seems like Hamilton is keen to ride the wave of current popularity to keep the money flowing across F1. After all, they need it to keep getting paid the big bucks in the commercial world we live in.
Nick T.
16th November 2023, 23:57
Lewis has always loved America. His highest ambition in life is to be an A-list celebrity in America.
RL
17th November 2023, 8:37
Yeah, that’s kind of inevitable when you’re a 100+ Grand Prix winner, 7 time World Champion
Nick T.
17th November 2023, 14:00
Did you comprehend my post? He isn’t an A-list celebrity in America, but he wants to be. Everybody in America knows Madonna, Michael Jordan or Brad Pitt. Maybe half-of-America knows of him beyond “the name rings a bell.”
He’s into celebrity worship and there’s none quite as obsequious as American superstardom.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
16th November 2023, 20:07
It’s weird how often I agree with verstappen despite not really being a fan of his.
Andrey Baydin (@minilemm)
16th November 2023, 21:57
I know right. I thought he was a brat ever since he came in, especially in his teens, yet the last couple of years with all the changes he seems to be quite an outlet. Also calms me down somewhat when I think maybe I’m just resisting change cos I’m getting old
Nick T.
17th November 2023, 1:09
I also dislike Max, but as the resident grumpy old man despite not being old, the one affinity I share with Max is old school character. He was definitely born in the wrong era.
Zann (@zann)
16th November 2023, 20:09
Different personalities, both valid. I do like Max saying what he thinks, but Lewis is more interesting isn’t he
Oxnard (@montalvo)
16th November 2023, 21:39
I think Lewis is really good in saying what people want to hear. I’m not a big fan of that.
Zann (@zann)
16th November 2023, 22:37
well Lewis wants to influence people and make a difference in the world, which he is pretty good at as part of it is being generous and making people feel good, and that’s why it’s his name that’s in lights
G
17th November 2023, 10:50
Personally I prefer the straight talking personalities like Kimi and Max. I remember laughing at Max saying his home fans are great and all, but they don’t make my car 0.2 seconds faster.
Pretentious people in general just annoy me, although some people probably feed off that. Each to their own, if everybody was the same then life would be boring.
Zann (@zann)
17th November 2023, 11:22
Lewis is not pretentious, that would be more using words you don’t understand :) Lewis is very real, very honest, and complex, relatable, and people tune into that. Max is pretty honest too, just simpler, a perfect self-centred boy who races cars then goes home and races cars
G
17th November 2023, 13:47
Well, if I turned up to work wearing a bin bag or a tea cosy on my head, or decided one day I wanted to be a rapper or some form of celebrity, I would not be surprised if someone called me pretentious.
Not that my original comment was aimed at Lewis by the way, there are other drivers who aren’t straight talking like Kimi and Max.
Sorry if I hit a nerve there. :)
Zann (@zann)
17th November 2023, 15:31
you didn’t hit a nerve G, you’re not sorry, and it was about Lewis. Also, you don’t know what ‘pretentious’ means. Lewis IS a celebrity you see, that’s how his name was in lights in Las Vegas, and that’s not pretending is it? So, you were pretending you knew what pretentious means
melanos
17th November 2023, 23:33
Truly, and for the worst
PT (@pt)
16th November 2023, 20:53
We need a race in India. MotoGP has tasted great success at its maiden event at the Buddh International Circuit at Greater Noida near New Delhi, and the current government’s favourable policies should make the environment in India great for an F1 race as well. As per rumours, it should happen soon.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
16th November 2023, 20:56
I think we all know that Lewis worships the USA.
This isn’t really new news is it.
RR
16th November 2023, 20:58
F1 has been around for decades, Americans never really took any interest. It looks like Liberrty Inc is chasing the crock of gold at the bottom of the rainbow and may eventually find it is just not there.
Nathan Richmond Hoag
17th November 2023, 2:30
Look up Watkins Glen GP in the 70s.
Nick T.
17th November 2023, 14:03
I highly doubt they’ll ever get a hardcore fandom here the size they’d like. But they still might find a way to get enough of that sweet, sweet US corporate investment they want even more.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
17th November 2023, 0:35
Hamilton is just wrong. The approach of Liberty and Domenicali is wrong for the sport. That’s it.
Then all this garbage about high net worth people. Awful.
cdfemke (@cdfemke)
17th November 2023, 0:59
Why do they bother doing a race at all? They are growing massively , apperently there is a market for such a disneyland full of barf and people in oversized suits and weird attires, a bigger market than just F1 racing fans. So… why bother doing the sportside then?
Leroy (@g-funk)
17th November 2023, 3:02
Lewis will learn pretty quickly that Hollywood is extremely fickle and that it’s called Tinsel Town for a reason. It is a cheap, superficial veneer of glamour that has little real substance. They will drop him as soon as interest in F1 starts to fade, which it appears to be doing in the States. Chasing clout is a fool’s errand but so many people get caught up in it.
As much as I have disagreed with Max’s approach in his earlier years, I think he is spot on here.
MarkWebber (@markwebber)
17th November 2023, 7:55
Verstappen was born in the wrong era, he deserved a purer F1. I applaud that he is willing to talk openly about it.
RL
17th November 2023, 8:38
That’s a bit ironic, he wouldn’t have had the same opportunities in a different era, he most certainly wouldn’t have had a drive at age 17
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
17th November 2023, 8:07
Verstappen has just gone up several notches in my estimation.
’ve never much cared for him ‘off track’ but comments like this show what a racer he is. Clearly he’s unimpressed by anything other than fighting for a win on a proper circuit.
RL
17th November 2023, 8:43
There’s almost an openly hypocritical stance from Max. He’s stated that he doesn’t like it but doesn’t mind the pay check that has been growing from all of what he hates.
Alonso has been around enough to be pragmatic about it. I’d say the younger two guys are still too self focused to think about the bigger picture.
melanos
17th November 2023, 23:37
Seriously? What do you want Max to do, to say he won’t race at Lost Wages?
When you have a job to do, you do it, like it or not. And of course you get paid for it
Adam (@rocketpanda)
17th November 2023, 12:31
F1 shouldn’t be advertising itself to “high net worth” people, this should not be the intention at all. Who honestly cares how much the audience members are worth or how many “deals” are being done during the event? This is meant to be a racing event, advertising to “high net worth” people is really not a good look.
G
17th November 2023, 14:05
I agree. That statement sums up what is killing sport for regular people.
I respect Max for his strong comments about not wanting to stand on a podium like a performing clown. I’m sure the big wigs at Liberty and the FIA loved that.