F1 owners forced to apologise to furious Las Vegas residents over controversial $500million Grand Prix | The Sun

FORMULA ONE's owners have been forced to apologise to the residents of Las Vegas for messing up Sin City.

Locals are outraged by road closures causing traffic and grandstands blocking tourist hotspots.



The logistical operation caused by F1's first race along the famous Vegas strip, has sparked fury from the residents.

Work has been going on for months and now Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media who own F1, has said sorry.

He said: "I want to apologise to all the Las Vegas residents and we appreciate that they have their forbearance and their willingness to tolerate us.

"We're going to bring something like $1.7 billion of revenue to the area. So it's not just for the benefit of fans who want to view.

READ MORE IN F1

PRIX HISTORIC

Inside abandoned F1 track held in car park now demolished for hotel and shops

HOT WHEELS

Win a stunning Ferrari or £110k cash alternative from just 71p with our discount

"We hope this is a great economic benefit in Las Vegas.

"We hope this is the most difficult year with all the construction that went on and things will be easier in the future."

Liberty have spent around $500million, or £400m, putting on the race, resurfacing the roads, building a new paddock and garages and putting up grandstands.

They hope to cash in on the sport's popularity in the US, driven by the Netflix 'Drive to Survive' TV series.

Most read in Motorsport

SPIN THE WHEELS

F1 owners have made $500m gamble on Las Vegas GP – but it could be big flop

PRIX HISTORIC

Inside abandoned F1 track held in car park now demolished for hotel and shops

ON TRACK

F1 simulator used by Schumacher in last Ferrari season goes up for sale for £20k

STAY ON TRACK

Hamilton’s ex-trainer reveals biggest challenge of working with F1 star

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

However, rather than hitting the jackpot, there are serious concerns the race, which is Saturday night Las Vegas time but Sunday morning in the UK, will be a massive flop with hundreds of seats and hotel rooms left unsold.

Ticket sales too have been slow with many reluctant to spend the ridiculous sums being suggested.

CNN reported that ticket website TickPick had seen prices slashed, although the average price for Saturday's race is still an eye-watering $1,060, roughly £800, for grandstand seats.

It is the same story for the unsold hotel rooms – but do F1's owners really care about the paying fans? In part they do, however, like other US sports the main focus is on the TV audience.

The race is on Saturday at 10pm local time, later than they would have hoped, for the majority of the East coast will be asleep by then.

There have been mixed reactions to the race from drivers, while the race could be chaos with track temperatures set to be around five degrees, far from optimal for F1 tyres which thrive in warmer conditions.

It is not the first time F1 has raced in Vegas with previous events at a now-abandoned circuit in 1981 and 1982.

However, the expected 100,000 spectators will be able to experience a never-before-seen feature at F1 – a wedding chapel.

Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year


Source: Read Full Article