F1 coming to Vegas !

It looks as though there are a few more "affordable" tickets available this year (If you can call them that!!) and generally the prices appear to be slightly cheaper than last year,(?) it's still pretty extortionate with Grandstand tickets starting at $1500 to $2750 (depending on which stand) for the full event.

Hopefully it will be a good and entertaining race with other teams catching up to the Red Bull/ Max Verstappen combo, thanks to development upgrades. Verstappen had carried on from where he left off last year, winning 7 of the opening 10 races this season. Although the last of those wins came back in June, with Mercedes winning 3, McLaren 2 and Ferrari 1, since then. McLaren are only 8 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors championship and appear to have the upper hand right now with both the McLaren drivers performing well. The Drivers championship seems to be wrapped up by Verstappen, because of his early season dominance, but if Lando Norris (currently in second place) can gain an average of 8 points per race for the remaining 8 races, we would have another British world champion. Unlikely, but we live in hope!

Dave

If McLaren had played the game it would be close but the way things are going currently the team is going to implode. Living in Woking I know a few of the guys on the race team and the word is that the whole team is in uproar behind closed doors and that the merry go round at the end of next season is likely to see Lando courted by Red Bull to replace Verstappen who will go Mercedes to replace George who will then become number 2 to Piastri at McLaren. Could be interesting!

The prices for LV tickets are madness. Hopefully it'll be half empty this year and this will send a message to the greed organisers. Sadly, I doubt it.

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Originally Posted by UKCraig

The prices for LV tickets are madness.

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I suspect that just about every seat will be sold well in advance of the race. I'd sort of like to go this year, but those ticket prices would stretch my sustainable budget beyond rationality, I am afraid.

Thanks for the insight on the racing teams.

Mark

I just had a quick look and a one day ticket for qualifying on the Saturday start at almost $500 and end up with Paddock club tickets that go north of $12,500!! Just to experience the sounds and smells of F1, a Thursday practice session starts at $100-$150, and Friday over $200. They call them the "Cheap seats". Yeah, right!

Dave

Here are the links to the full packages:

Bellagio Fountain Club is only $13,015 per person

Paddock Club is a mere $16,865 per person

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If McLaren had played the game it would be close but the way things are going currently the team is going to implode. Living in Woking I know a few of the guys on the race team and the word is that the whole team is in uproar behind closed doors

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This could be what the uproar within the raceteam is about if true.

Oscar has undoubtedly a solid talent - and may well turn out to be a champion in a few years - but it makes no sense for a team to root one of their own who has stuck with them as they trolled round in the midfield for years.

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Thursday practice session starts at $100-$150, and Friday over $200. They call them the "Cheap seats"

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And then you get kicked out at midnight as they're running late having not screwed the drain covers down properly. They couldn't understand why people were angry!

Whilst F1 is certainly more interesting on track currently it sure does like to shoot itself in the foot. Why can't we just go back to CART/Champcar racing in the 90s or Nascar in the early 2000s? That was much more fun!

I think that most of the controversy around McLaren was after the Hungarian GP. To give themselves the best chance of getting a 1-2 result they pitted Norris first to keep Hamilton at bay. That gave him the undercut on Piastri who, under normal circumstances would of taken the first pit stop as the lead car. The real noise after came from the fact Norris went radio silent while the team sent message after message to let him past while the world listened on. Up to that point the team had let them race. It appeared to be sorted, and it was a case of the press looking for headlines as far as I was concerned, but maybe not, given the info you have shared

F1 returns to America after it's Autumn break and it looks as though Austin TX has all the ingredients to make it a great race, the drivers love the layout! Max Verstappen and Red Bull have lost their dominance since their last victory in Spain, but they have brought upgrades to the car and racing couldn't be closer. Max was pipped to pole position by his main rival, Lando Norris who has been chipping away at his lead since Spain. (It looked as though Max would have taken Pole had it not been for a yellow flag on the last lap of qualifying) Norris was 0.031 seconds quicker than Verstappen over 3.4 miles of circuit, that's how close! Ferrari look very racey with their new upgrades and are not far behind on pace. Lining up 3rd and 4th on the grid with Carlos Sainz Jnr looking 'Feisty', things could get spicy! (Let's hope so!)

Dave

Out of interest I looked at the (reported) average price of F1 tickets, and in a lot of cases 'like for like' tickets for COTA (Circuit of the Americas) in Austin, are four times cheaper than those in Vegas. It hasn't got the glitz and glamour that Vegas offers for visitors who might want to experience the bright lights, but for dedicated F1 fans, COTA offers a Grade 1 certified FIA spec circuit built purely for racing. The cheapest circuits are the Chinese and Hungarian GP's, averaging around $200, while in the middle of the pack are the Dutch and Abu Dhabi GP's, at an average of $500. Then there is the 2nd most expensive, Miami at $880. Most expensive is Las Vegas, at an average cost of a whopping $1620!

(Hey Mark. If you want to watch a GP, it might be cheaper to fly out of LV and go watch the Hungarian GP!) ;-0

Dave

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

(Hey Mark. If you want to watch a GP, it might be cheaper to fly out of LV and go watch the Hungarian GP!) ;-0

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Dave, Yep, last year, UK Craig suggested that if I were to fly to Monaco, stay in a fancy hotel, see the race, that there would still be a net savings over the cost seeing the Las Vegas Grand Prix in my home town!

I'd still like to see the race in town--sometime--but I could have a pretty darn amazing road trip if I took those same pennies and spent them just on fuel!

Thanks for the research!

Mark

I am contemplating a possible trip to Austin next autumn... everything is so dark and depressing here at this time of the year and I have been pondering a trip to eastern Arizona, New Mexico and south western Texas this time next year. It then dawned on me about Austin. It's just whether it is worth adding a solid day to day and a half or whatever of driving to cross the state and whether I can get that much time away from home...

From the info I found on line, race fans really like Austin, described as vibrant nightlife and great food and music. Although I haven't toured Texas Hill country, it seems a popular choice. Big Bend NP is a full days drive from Austin, a remote NP on the Mexican border and one we really enjoyed!

Dave

It'd be like the old days... lots of national parks, lots of driving and some racing. Chasing Cars rides again.

* Just need permission from corporate and we're good to go!

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Originally Posted by UKCraig

If McLaren had played the game it would be close but the way things are going currently the team is going to implode. Living in Woking I know a few of the guys on the race team and the word is that the whole team is in uproar behind closed doors and that the merry go round at the end of next season is likely to see Lando courted by Red Bull to replace Verstappen who will go Mercedes to replace George who will then become number 2 to Piastri at McLaren. Could be interesting!

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Wow... latest update of how things are expected to be in 2025 according to someone 'in the know'!

Verstappen will switch to Mercedes to partner the rookie
Russell will then move sideways to to Red Bull to be joined by... Oscar Piastri(!)
Instead of dropping down to the Williams team, Sainz will turn up as team mate to Norris at McLaren
Williams will then retain the services of Colapinto

Personally I think that Fernando is near the end of his career and that spot could yet open up and turn even the above predictions on their head as Verstappen could be a favourite to join up again with Newey and the other Red Bull staff that have been poached by Aston Martin.

With Hamilton moving to Ferrari this could be the biggest rotation in years. Or perhaps nothing will happen at all... the great rumour mill! Ironically, if it does transpire as above, the only team who would seem to be downgrading here would be Ferrari who started it all off in the first place!

WOW! That's a lot of speculation, but personally I can't see Verstappen, Russel or Piastri on the move, and Sainz has signed a multi-year contract with Williams as I understand it. Alonso's contract goes beyond 2025, but it's possible there could be a 'Mutual consent' parting of the ways. Other than that most teams have seats confirmed for 2025 with Liam Lawson hoping to take the spare seat at RB.

I think Perez is the most likely to lose his seat at Red Bull. He is so far behind the other leading drivers, he's lack of form looks almost certain to lose the Red bull team the Constructors championship to McLaren, and are at risk of being relegated to third place with the resurgent Ferrari team.

(Oh dear, George Russel has just stacked his Mercedes in 2nd practice at the Mexican GP.)

What a turn around in the Brazilian Grand Prix!! The Spring race and Qualifying panned out to look as though Lando Norris was set to take a huge chunk out of Max Verstappen's advantage in the drivers championship! Having won the Sprint, Lando started on pole position while Max was way back in 17th for the main race. (Including a 5 place grid penalty for an engine change.) The Sao Paulo weather had other ideas! It was a chaotic wet race with many incidents involving crashes, safety cars and a Red flag incident that gave Max V a 'Free' pit stop advantage as others around him had already been into the pits prior to the stoppage. Max also had an outstanding race in the rain, pretty much a faultless drive which led him home in first place, and he even claimed an extra point for the fastest lap of the race. Lando finished in 6th place, which has given Max an extra 18 point gap, and almost certainly his fourth World title!!

Onto Vegas we go, for some glitz and glamour, and hopefully some great racing!

Dave

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Onto Vegas we go, for some glitz and glamour, and hopefully some great racing!

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Dave and Craig, appreciate the insider's view about the race.

F1 announced a new set of tickets in the Harmon grandstands with food at USD $675 "+ fees." The list price for those seats was $1200 each.

Almost reasonable pricing -- But too many other things happening then for me to think about attending.

I hope all goes well. The course is nearing completion and should be in racing form in time.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

WOW! That's a lot of speculation, but personally I can't see Verstappen, Russel or Piastri on the move, and Sainz has signed a multi-year contract with Williams as I understand it. Alonso's contract goes beyond 2025, but it's possible there could be a 'Mutual consent' parting of the ways. Other than that most teams have seats confirmed for 2025 with Liam Lawson hoping to take the spare seat at RB.

I think Perez is the most likely to lose his seat at Red Bull. He is so far behind the other leading drivers, he's lack of form looks almost certain to lose the Red bull team the Constructors championship to McLaren, and are at risk of being relegated to third place with the resurgent Ferrari team.

(Oh dear, George Russel has just stacked his Mercedes in 2nd practice at the Mexican GP.)

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Who can tell... nothing is certain until Tony Stewart sings.

Sainz has - if rumours in the paddock are to be believed - a single year contract with both an option to extend and a get out clause should one of several 'specified teams' come in. I think that he would bring a certain something to McLaren if he were to return whilst Williams are pretty keen to pick up the services of the golden boy especially as his wages would be a tiny fraction of what they would be paying Sainz. If you rule out the potential for crash damages which might be more of a focus after the utter shambles of the last weekend.

With Verstappen having this title in his pocket he may well be a little happier to stay at Red Bull for another year whilst he waits to see how the new ruleset will play out for 2026 so this is likely all going to be a load of nothingness!

This coming weekend, Las Vegas will once again host Formula 1 GP around the city. There will (of course) be disruption to locals and visitors trying to navigate their way around the are. This link shows scheduled road closures and detour routes. Plus more info here from KTNV

With McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari all closely matched, and never knowing what Mercedes will bring to the party, it should be an entertaining race. Here's hoping!!

Dave

Megan and I drove the race route again last night. Just about all of the prep work is completed. Pit Row is still a work in progress, but the road route is looking very close to being done.

Should be a interesting race. Temps are likely to be cooler again than the racing teams are used to. But I guess that just makes it more interesting for them in choosing the correct tires for the conditions.

Mark

Any signs of the F1 team crews turning up for set up yet Mark? I would imagine this would start to happen by Wednesday.

Have you chosen your tyres for your next flying lap ? If you stop in the pits, it takes 2.5 to 3 seconds for an F1 team to change all four wheels!

Dave

The drivers are looking for grip in the first free practice, with many finding it difficult and going beyond the limit.(The only way to find the limit, right!?)

On another note, I have seen reports of disgruntled business owners who are again suffering losses due to road closures and diversions. After last year, you would have thought the organisers would have sorted this out before the event, especially considering the vast sums of money F1 generates.

Dave,

I think at least one of the problems (with tire grip) is the air temperature--race conditions temps will be 18 degrees Celsius dropping to 16 degrees (or maybe lower with the expected wind chill.) The first full access to the track doesn't happen until tonight. So, we will see.

I really think the grumbling is strategic blathering at this point. The race organizers worked hard to minimize the effect on local businesses and also made money-making options more obvious for local firms.

Mark

I wish it had been 16-18 degrees when we were there in the summer :) Mark, I don't know how you live with it. I love it in Death Valley or Joshua Tree but when it is mid 40s in a glass and concrete jungle it's not so nice!

Looking forward to seeing this race. Now the Lando thing seems to be over it will be great to see him released from the pressure - and Oscar released from TOs - hopefully it is a good race.

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Originally Posted by UKCraig

Mark, I don't know how you live with it. I love it in Death Valley or Joshua Tree but when it is mid 40s in a glass and concrete jungle it's not so nice!

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I really like the heat. Not as thrilled with cold weather -- but the contrast is nice.

I look forward to seeing the race too--on TV.

Mark

I was working outside this morning. Minus 3. Not terrible but certainly some difference from three months ago when we were enjoying 50 degrees in DV. I can certainly agree that the cold sucks.

Just been watching the practice session. Interesting if the race started in that order...

50 degrees C -- is a tad warm.

I watched Q2 and Q3 last night (on TV.) Track looks great at night. I worry that it's just too slippery for the drivers.

It is windy here now in Vegas -- that can't be good for tonight's race.

Should be a fun spectacle.

Mark

Video taken on November 11th of the back straight-away. We were cruising at warp speeds approaching 22 mph -- by comparison, the F1-race cars will be zipping along this stretch at speeds approaching 225 mph. And, of course, it will be at night and the lights will be on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKmQjxN7bBM

Give you a good idea of what it can look like

I see that the wind could be a bit gusty tonight according to the forecast. With so much performance coming from the aerodynamics, the drivers really don't like these conditions. Race temps around 18C will also cause them issues, and if a bit of desert dust blows on the circuit, grip levels could get even more interesting! (I had to smile when Mark mentioned 18C and cold weather, I believe that was the UK'S average for August this year!)

A bad day at the office for Lewis Hamilton, it really looked like the 2 Mercs could of been on the front row! Perhaps trying to out qualify his team mate led him to try a little to hard. Great qualifying drive by Gasly, I'm not sure anyone would of expected him to be on the 2nd row!

Nice video Mark! It sure is a spectacular sight as they roar down the Strip under the lights! I understand that the bridge walk ways over the track have had metal panels put up so people can't view from there. Apparently last year they used plastic sheeting, but visitors started tearing at it to create peep holes.

Dave.

Yeah,

It was a nice race. Drivers handled the tricky surface and wind conditions with ease. And even got to see a superb two car overtake in the tricky corners by Sergio Perez, along with several other passes by several drivers.

And...now, it is time for bed for this Las Vegan!

Mark

Motorsport was the winner here! No track issues, red flags or Stewards having an affect on the result, just good clean racing with some good overtakes and slightly different strategies deciding the outcome. A classic Lewis Hamilton drive that saw him go from 10th on the grid to finishing 2nd on the podium. How he must regret his errors in Q3, victory could of surely been his! A smooth, professional drive from another Brit, George Russel, saw him cruise from Pole position to Victory, a 1-2 finish for Mercedes. The Ferraris finished strong to put pressure on McLaren for the Constructors title, and Max Verstappen finishing ahead of Lando Norris to be crowned World champion for the 4th time. All this under the bright lights of Vegas has really made this years race a big success in my opinion. The sight and sounds of the cars going down the Strip was amazing!

I'm sure there will be some partying going on in Vegas tonight!!

Dave

With the F1 GP owners/organisers (Liberty media) looking to grow the sport in the USA, it looks like we could see an American works team entering the pack for the 2026 season!

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Formula 1 announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with General Motors (GM) to support bringing GM/Cadillac as the 11th team to the Formula 1 grid in 2026.

Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024.

Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process and will provide further updates in due course.

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It'll be interesting to watch a Cadillac attempting to take a corner at speed!;-) Haha

Dave

A Cadillac F-1 race car?

Seriously?

Interesting development.

Thanks for the report!

Mark

That was my first reaction Mark! It was breaking news so I had to check for myself rather than believing the report.

Dave

It seems a lot of the ground work was done by the Andretti family, the Father being Mario Andretti (who won the F1 Championship back in 1978.) F1 did not accept their (Andretti/Cadillac) package proposal to join the F1 line up, but enticed GM to join in and create a GM/Cadillac stable, with GM keen on supplying power units for the sport. (It all looks a bit complicated, but basically, the Andretti's found a way back into the sport by stepping back, but will remain a partner of the team, and Mario will have a roll to play in an advisory package)

To start the 2026 season GM will have to look for an engine supplier until they are ready to provide their own units. Ferrari look favourite to provide these at this point.

Dave

The engine is important, of course, but who is going to build the chassis and the rest of it for GM?

I drove the Strip portion (back straight-away) today and they are making significant inroads in restoring the Strip to the pre-race condition. It is kind of amazing to watch. Not the fastest way through town at the moment though. I think it took me about 20 minutes to drive past Caesars today. I wasn't in a hurry.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

The engine is important, of course, but who is going to build the chassis and the rest of it for GM?

Mark

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They have been building a team of race experts that I believe will work under the GM/Cadillac brand, but I don't think they will be working alongside the Escalade production line. ;-)
From one report.

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Since GM’s bid to join F1 was announced in January 2023, Cadillac Formula 1 has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team has operations in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England.

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Top F1 teams can have close to 1000 employees, and spend $400 million per season to compete at the top!

Dave

So, this article published by AP on November 25th:

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The 11th team on the F1 grid has been named Cadillac F1 (and, as you mentioned, the basic group was owned by Michael Andretti.)
"...be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season...."

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This reminds me of the expansion fights that have occurred with USA sports. One can argue that this expansion to an eleventh team makes little sense for the health of the F1 franchise. There are some more interesting points about the infighting in this article, as well.

There has been quite a bit of unrest since Liberty Media took over the brand, all the way through to drivers who were not happy with the introduction of the Sprint race weekends. Other teams are unhappy about the dilution of income due to a 10 way split becoming 11. Reports are suggesting that GM motors will pay a $450 million dollar 'anti-dilution' fee to join the F1 grid.

Here in the UK global investments are sucking the joy out of our love of the game of football and our teams. Money talks!

Dave