F1 coming to Vegas !

[Mark Sedenquist]

Megan and I need to attend the Froog Camp event this afternoon at Resorts World. I will report in again as to how crazy things are on the Strip.

This whole F1 event is starting to seem a bit embarrassing for our city. As locals, we take a dim view of anything or anyone who disparages our fair city.

Mark

[Mark Sedenquist]

The Froog Camp event was a little odd -- but getting there was no issue. Locals are not using the streets. When we left the Resorts World property at about 6 pm roads were a tad jammed - since the Strip was closed. But no real issues.

Qualifying looked pretty slick -- really pretty race course.

Looking forward to the race tonight!

Mark

[UKCraig]

And to think people used to laugh at Nascar when it was a thing! Was never a big F1 fan but it is a shame how far it has fallen as the owners (and promoters of the LV race) look to bring the fairy tale of the Netflix series to life :(

[Southwest Dave]

It could be an entertaining race. I hope!! It'll be interesting to see if they all make it through turn one without incident. High adrenalin and low grip on cold tyres and all packed together could make it interesting. Ferrari look competitive but often struggle in race trim and then there are 3 or 4 cars caught in the middle of the pack who feel they should be near the front, they will have to try and pick their way through the field which won't be easy given the straight line speed of the Williams ahead. I hope the young American Logan Sargent can have a clean race, he has had his struggles in his frist year in F1 but has had a great qualifying session.

No predictions from me, this could be won on Driver and Pit stop strategy rather than outright pace. Looking after those tyres and calling them in at the right time is critical. I think we can expect at least one safety car incident and this could also be crucial. A car pits early and 2 laps later a safety car comes into play, it gives other drivers the opportunity to pit while the pace is slow which can gain them an 8-10 second advantage, which is a 'Lifetime' in F1 terms.

Having said that, it would be a shock if Max Verstappen doesn't end up on the top step of the podium ! Haha

Dave

[Mark Sedenquist]

Craig,

I would credit the Netflix series "Drive to Survive" as the #1 driver to rekindle my interest in F1. I used to attend the Long Beach Grand Prix--another road circuit and enjoyed it. What the Netflix series did for me was to humanize the drivers and thus make the entire event much more interesting to this fan.

I am looking forward to the race tonight. I have another event I need to attend, early in the evening, but I am planning to find a TV around the start of the race.

AZBuck passed along this article from the UK Daily Mail--my take? People love to hate Las Vegas and jump on whenever they get a chance.

And, despite the issues, I think the organizers made a beautiful race course.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

You will always get the moans and the groans from a few but to even get this event to go ahead is a massive achievment and it goes without saying there will be teething troubles and they will learn from these. To keep the drivers, the teams, the sponsors, the punters, the city and most of all, the locals happy must be a complete nightmare with something this big. I certainly wouldn't be happy with the view from the balcony in that report shared by Buck but watching from home with a beer, Hell yeah, it's Vegas meets F1! It's a great circuit which is going to test teams and drivers in every sense possible. Bring it on I say!

Dave (And good on those making the roadway safe in such a short amount of time in the middle of the night! Can you send them to the UK to sort out our ever growing Potholes!)

[Mark Sedenquist]

And good on those making the roadway safe in such a short amount of time in the middle of the night! Can you send them to the UK to sort out our ever growing Potholes!)

Yeah, impressive road repair!

I drove past the Henderson Jetport and I think there are less jets parked this morning than there were yesterday. They had prepared for a massive influx of jets --with the staff to match and (almost) no one came.

Another "teething" problem--no doubt.

I think the Strip properties will probably have a net operating loss from this F1 event -- it feels like the normal influx of tourists didn't happen. And we know of a restaurant that put on extra staff -- right on the strip adjacent to the racetrack and almost no diners stopped by. They closed early last night.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

I think the Strip properties will probably have a net operating loss from this F1 event -- it feels like the normal influx of tourists didn't happen.

If I wanted to visit Las Vegas and was not an F1 fan then this weekend is the one I would avoid at all costs due to the inflated prices and inconvenience of the event. So despite all the money F1 claim to have brought to the city, it would be interesting to see how much over 'the normal' this would amount to. Away from the glamour a lot of F1 fans are pure enthusiasts that will pay a lot to get to an event, (more than they can afford) but it doesn't mean they have a lot to spend in the casinos and diners etc which is another negative for local business. Any other town and F1 would make a huge difference, but Vegas isn't any old town is it!

Put that all aside and we have a great event to look forward to and it's almost time to let the racing do the talking.

Dave

[Southwest Dave]

Some "cheap" tickets are still available at the Sphere and Grandstand if you're quick, all under $1500!! (Not cheap at all!)
Some are only $1250. I couldn't warrant paying that for 2 hours entertainment!! The ticket office are also taking $250 deposits for Grandstand seats in 2024, but wait! The tickets are non-refundable and I can't see any mention of how much the actual cost will be! I guess they make that up later.

Dave

[Mark Sedenquist]

It was a fun race to watch.

I had a hard time staying awake around lap 40 or so though. I did wake up in time to see the last three laps.

It would have been fun to see Sergio come in first -- but great action at the front for final finish.

Nothing like an actual race to see the skill sets!

Ugly crash that put Lando Norris into the wall. Glad to see that he is OK.

The number that F1 is reporting is 315,000 visitors to Las Vegas. I find that nearly impossible to believe. I know what this town feels like when there are 300K extra people here. I would believe a number closer to 100K.

We have a good friend who was in the grandstands for all events -- he had a blast.

Mark