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LAS VEGAS – Midway through his post-race interview, Oscar Piastri paused when massive fireworks over the Las Vegas Strip interrupted his train of thought.
“Jesus Christ…” he said, the noise making everyone look up at the sky. He deadpanned, “Welcome to Las Vegas.”
Even as F1 ended its weekend in Las Vegas on a high note with one of the most exciting races of the season, a three-way fight for victory that stretched into the final stages, there was no escaping the importance of off-track racing. show.
It had been a point of contention for many. Max Verstappen, the eventual race winner, had criticized the F1 race in Las Vegas as “99 percent spectacle, one percent sporting event” as early as Wednesday. While some drivers understood the need to embrace the spectacle, they still had a job to do, a race to win, 25 points to fight for. That was his approach.
This was always the dichotomy of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. F1 had long planned for this to be much more than just another race, turning it into one of the greatest spectacles in world sport. Ironically, this actually was one of the most exciting races of the 2023 season, thanks to that exciting late fight and action all over the field. Having exciting competitive action, something largely outside F1’s control, was a nice-to-have, not a must-have.
After a rough start to the weekend, fans were treated to an excellent race on Saturday night. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
It wasn’t an easy race weekend by any means. There are no new races. But $500 million hasn’t been spent on any new races. In true Las Vegas style, the stakes were raised.
Walking to the grid Saturday night, there was a sense of excitement and nervousness typically reserved for title deciders. After 18 months of preparations and anticipation, it was time for F1 to deliver. Things were laid out.
What followed ticked all the boxes for a great F1 event. The neon signs along the illuminated Strip created a spectacular image. The race itself had a close battle for the win and lots of overtaking, unusual on a street track. Fears that the low temperatures would make it impossible to control the tires were largely unfounded, even if it was difficult in the run to Turn 1 and on the restarts after the safety car periods when the tires had cooled.
The track pleasantly surprised the pilots. The design seemed quite simple and may have been compared to an upside-down pig. But the profile of the corners and in particular the long DRS zones meant there were plenty of overtaking opportunities.
“I didn’t expect to have so much fun in the race,” admitted Charles Leclerc, whose successful charge on Sergio Pérez lit up the final lap. “I’m sure it was good to see. “I’ll be sure to see him again.” George Russell said it was “surreal” to be in Las Vegas, but that the track was “much better than anticipated” and had “quite a lot of character.”
That doesn’t mean changes aren’t necessary in the future. Because there are big things that need to be addressed.
Necessary changes
Although there were good races, the circuit needs improvement. Grip levels were still incredibly low, as is often the case on urban tracks. “You have to fight with the car, but it’s not a feeling you get a lot of comments about,” explained Daniel Ricciardo. “I think if the grip was bigger, it would be more fun.” Carlos Sainz also highlighted Turn 12, the turn that leads to the Strip, as “a little dangerous” due to the position of the wall. Steps can be taken to try to help on both counts.
Ironically, the biggest requests for change were related to off-track issues, namely race scheduling. The lights out at 10pm was the last in F1 history and the result of many compromises, but the F1 paddock was arguably the biggest loser. Rarely did a conversation go by without someone mentioning how little sleep they’d had or how confused their biological clock was. The delays that caused FP2 to finish at 4am on Friday didn’t help. Ricciardo said people were “delirious,” while Leclerc thought the late schedules were “a little over the top.” Piastri said he wanted this to be the last race of the season so he could return straight home, as he felt it was on Australian time.
The extravagant nature of the Las Vegas GP is here to stay. (Chris Graythen – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
It is difficult to find the right time to start the race. The pressure to minimize the disruption caused by the closure of one of the world’s most famous roads means it’s not as simple as bringing forward the start time. But it must be something F1 explores because few in the paddock have appreciated such late starts. It would be more appropriate to turn off the lights at 8 pm, as is the case in Singapore, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The other factor that made Las Vegas so demanding is what’s happening now: the trip to Abu Dhabi for the season finale. It’s a 16-hour trip with a 12-hour jet lag, something everyone needs to be prepared for by Wednesday at the latest. “It’s such a big time change, especially at the end of a season when everyone is already a bit tired,” Verstappen said. “I think it’s a little excessive. So maybe it would be ideal to find a different date.”
Things will only get worse next year: Las Vegas begins a tripleheader with Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. Ricciardo was surprised to learn that fact on Sunday. “They need to move it forward because we’ll be gutted, especially at the end of the season,” he said. Unfortunately, it’s not something viable for next year, and Las Vegas intends to maintain this pre-Thanksgiving date for the long term. This only increases the need to try to move up the race start time to make the whole weekend a little easier for the entire paddock.
There are also obvious lessons that Las Vegas organizers must learn. The problem with the water valve cap should be easily fixed in the future, as we learned the hard way. Then there’s the tone-deaf handling of fans in the early hours of Friday morning, forcing them to leave and then offering them neither a refund nor an apology, but rather a $200 merchandise voucher for an event where they watched a full eight minutes of action on the track. Announcing on Saturday that entry deposits would be accepted for 2024 (a sign in itself of how expensive it is to attend the race) was a bad look.
“Today was fun”
One thing that is unlikely to change is the extravagant nature of the Las Vegas show. The city’s identity and reputation will remain at the heart of the race, from the wedding chapel in the paddock to the number of Elvis impersonators (I’ve really lost count) and the slot machine lever on the timing bridges at each end of the race. pit lane. It will be authentically Las Vegas, for better or worse.
Even Verstappen got a little emotional after winning, singing “Viva Las Vegas” on the radio as part of a new tradition he agreed to with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
But Verstappen denied that the race had changed its tone in Las Vegas. “I always hoped today would be a good race,” he said. “As I said before, on long straights and low-speed corners you don’t lose much downforce. That’s never been my problem. Today has been fun. I hope everyone enjoyed it.”
Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday urged people to give Las Vegas a chance and not judge before the race. After the race, he admitted to being surprised by how good the track was, adding: “To all those who were so negative about the weekend, saying it was all about spectacle, blah, blah, blah… I think Vegas showed them that they were wrong. “It’s not hard to see who that comment was directed at.
The race may not have made Verstappen a Las Vegas convert, but it showed that what happens on the track can live up to all the expectations generated off the track.
For that reason, F1 will surely consider the start of its Las Vegas residency a success. There is room for improvement, yes, but after how things started, it was a big change for the sport.
According to Verstappen’s measurements, the sporting event of the one percent surpassed the spectacle of the 99 percent. Few would have liked those odds Thursday night.
More of The AthleticLas Vegas Grand Prix Coverage:
Why the first F1 grand prix in Las Vegas was a complete failure and a “lesson learned”
Our step-by-step breakdown of the Las Vegas Strip circuit
F1’s ‘unacceptable’ night in Las Vegas: How a water valve cover stopped training
(Main photo by Max Verstappen: ANP via Getty Images)
