Formula One’s hopes to open the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend with a bang were dealt a blow when its reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, dismissed the meeting as “99% show and 1% sporting event”. The Dutchman was scathing about what F1 hopes will be its biggest race of the year and a showcase for the sport.
This weekend’s meeting is the first to be promoted and organised by F1’s owners, Liberty Media, and what certainly was a show had begun in the early evening of Wednesday with an extravagant opening ceremony held on the start-finish straight. A series of acts including Kylie Minogue and John Legend were accompanied by lasers and fireworks before the festivities climaxed with the drivers elevated on lifts on to stages to wave to the crowd of approximately 30,000 in the new pit and paddock grandstand complex F1 has purpose built in the city.
Verstappen had not enjoyed the experience. “For me, you can skip this,” he said. “It’s not about the singers. We are just standing up there, looking like a clown.” So unenamoured was he that he had also declined to attend a party at the Wynn casino held by the F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, because as he put it bluntly he had “zero interest”.
Verstappen has long since wrapped up his third world championship this season but has been explicit in his desire to see out the remaining races as successfully as possible to add to the record 17 races he has won thus far. The hype and hoopla surrounding Las Vegas, however, has left him cold.
When asked if he was even looking forward to it, his response was simple. “No,” he said. “Well, I’m looking forward to trying to do the best I can, but then I’m not looking forward to this.”
For F1 the intent is as much for the event to act as a way of promoting the sport in the US and globally, as it is about ticket sales. Having all the drivers on board is a pivotal part of presenting the show it has gone to such lengths to put on, but Verstappen was insistent he would not play the game.
“I guess they still make money if I like it or not, so it’s not up to me,” he said. “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.
“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.”
To add insult to injury the Dutchman also concluded he was not expecting great things from the new 3.8-mile track, which features a long straight down Las Vegas Boulevard, the city’s iconic strip.
“I don’t think it’s that exciting,” he said. “For me a street circuit is not that exciting, especially with these new cars, they are just too heavy. When you have low grip that doesn’t help. The scenery will look great, driving through the strip, but the layout itself is not the most exciting.”
F1’s expectations for the race remain high and their approach to raising interest in the sport in the US, which now has three races, with a major event such as the Las Vegas race was supported by Lewis Hamilton.
“I hear there are a lot of people complaining about the direction that Stefano and [F1 owners] Liberty has gone,” he said. “But they are doing an amazing job. The sport continues to grow. It is a business and you will still see good racing here. It is a country to tap into and really captivate the audience. We needed to have at least two races in the US, one wasn’t enough, and this is one of the most iconic and unique cities that they have.
“It is a big show for sure, and it is never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, the people in this community will grow to love the sport.”
