A Remade Las Vegas Gears Up for F1 Weekend Amid Weather and Price Controversies

Driving down Las Vegas Boulevard today looks very different than it did just a few weeks ago. The many sights that attract more than 40 million people to the city every year are hampered. There are no Bellagio fountains in sight, no showgirls and Elvish posing for photos, no flashy marquees advertising nightly residency shows. The iconic thoroughfare now transports its travelers to a scene Grand prize the film with fencing and racing barrier walls surrounding the multi-lane public road. All this while the Strip is in its final transformation to become the Las Vegas Strip Circuit for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas, which takes place on Saturday evening, November 18. extends from Koval Lane to Sands Avenue and along Las Vegas Boulevard to Harmon Avenue. Throughout, Las Vegas’ signature iconography has been replaced by images of hyper-realistic Formula 1 cars and brand campaigns brought to you by the drivers promoting everything from watches to luggage to the tequila.

For brands connected or adjacent to the racing world, the Las Vegas Grand Prix offers tremendous sponsorship opportunities and a new platform with America’s growing fan base. But the half-billion-dollar effort to turn one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations into a massive stage for Formula 1 – an effort two years in the making – has not been without controversy amid the enormous hype , brand flexions and busy events. schedule that started to unfold earlier this week.

The controversies

The cold weather

Several news stories have emerged in recent days raising questions about whether F1 officials took temperature into account when planning a mid-November night race in the desert. The story was sparked by former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn talkSPORT that temperature factor was not taken into account when designing the Las Vegas circuit. “It will be a challenge to operate the cars at these temperatures. The tire supplier has done everything possible to ensure that the tires can handle this situation. We will certainly face new challenges that we have never encountered before, but I think it will be spectacular,” he said.

The main race takes place at 10pm to capture not only the beauty of Las Vegas lit up at night, but also the European viewership in the morning. However, it should be noted that the coldest F1 race ever took place in Montreal in 1978 at 41 degrees. It is expected to be about 57 degrees in Las Vegas on race night. Cold weather can affect tire grip and the overall structure of the car.

“It’s cold. It’s the coldest we’ve ever driven in,” said Williams Racing driver Alex Albon THR. However, he seemed unfazed by the impact this will have on the race, expressing more concern about the roadway and the light of the Sphere.

“I’ve done about four to five hundred laps on this track. We have a crew that came out and they scan the track,” he says. “The track itself is going to be quite interesting,” noting that it is “so bumpy” compared to others, even with extensive resurfacing. “The intersections are like roller coasters. In the bend at Sphere the road is sometimes completely blue.”

Max Verstappen’s dunk in Las Vegas

Some say the excitement started to fade when star driver Max Verstappen managed to capture this year’s championship title in Qatar on October 7. When asked to share his feelings about Las Vegas, Verstappen called the track “not very interesting” and said the race would be “99 percent show, 1 percent sport.”

Hotel room prices are falling

Room and package rates have been a hot topic since they were announced over a year ago. From lavish multi-million dollar experiences to four-figure viewing parties, prices for the Las Vegas Grand Prix appear to be about three to four times higher than those in other cities, raising questions about price gouging.

The Las vegas review diary reports that hotel room prices have fallen by as much as 75 percent over the course of a year. Dr. Mehmet Erdem, a professor of hotel operations and technology at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, told the newspaper that rates drop when demand for rooms declines, but that this is not necessarily an indicator of a “decline in expected revenue potential …judging by venue and restaurant prices for race weekend, demand will be high and Las Vegas no longer has a slow weekend before Thanksgiving; at least not before the F-1 contract expires.”

It’s bad news for those who arrived early, but it could mean great deals for customers who arrive at the last minute or for those who decide to come at the last minute.

CBS News learned that the race weekend took place many catering rates at lower prices than a regular weekend in 2022 and many hotels off the track but still on the Strip are now offering rooms for less than $200 per night.

As of November 16, StubHub was showing one-day Grand Prix tickets from around $670 for Saturday and a three-day pass for around $788.

The week of parties and brand flexions

Even amid the controversy – which also includes months of construction that has resulted in road closures and traffic that has upset locals – it is estimated that the Las Vegas Grand Prix will bring more than 100,000 visitors to the city and 1.3 billion dollars will cost. place.

As of Tuesday, November 14, the sponsor activations were in full swing. The Netflix Cup pitted Drive to Survive F1 drivers against Full Swing PGA golfers for the streaming service’s first-ever live sporting event. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Justin Thomas won the trophy.

Also on November 14, Mercedes-AMG Petronas drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, and team principal and CEO Toto Wolff, in collaboration with IWC Schaffhausen Watches, took over the SpeedVegas circuit and built a pop-up desert camp and entertainment venue. McLaren driver Lando Norris and Tumi celebrated the Brit’s 24th birthday at the travel brand’s store at The Forum Shops with a cake in the shape of a suitcase. And Patron launched its Mexican Heritage Tin, designed by Red Bull Racing’s Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, at an invitation-only dinner with actress Lupita Nyongo.

The newly opened Sphere will debut live cued content created by Sphere Studios on the exosphere during the race weekend. The custom Grand Prix footage includes real-time pole positions, podium celebrations and all 20 drivers and their cars. For the first time, Exosphere content was broadcast live in response to a live sporting event during the Netflix Cup at Wynn Golf Club. Brands like American Express, Aristocrat, Aston Martin, Google Chrome, Netflix, Paramount+, Salesforce, T-Mobile and Virgin Hotels all have ads around the world. The race itself will travel around Sphere in turns five through nine.

For the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening, November 16, broadcast on ESPN2 (produced by Brian Burke with lighting and set design by Tom Sutherland), the overcast skies over the Pit Building, where many of the premium racing experiences are concentrated, including the garages, starting line and lavish hospitality suites, illuminated with a drone show. A concert with Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue, Steve Aoki, John Legend and Tiësto and will.i.am followed.

Formula 1 and Wynn organized an official welcome party at the Domenicali, Greg Maffei and Renee Wilm).

Read THR’s updated list of the best parties, concerts and events during Formula 1 week.