Formula One is headed to Vegas!

Bright light city going to set my soul, set my soul on fire. Yes, it’s true. Las Vegas, the self-proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World”, will host Formula One for a weekend under the lights of the Vegas Strip for the penultimate race of the season, November 16th through the 18th. Viva Las Vegas! The race is scheduled for a 10pm local start time on the 18th, a Saturday. That’s right, Saturday night at 10pm. Free practice 3 will start at 8:30pm on Friday the 17th, followed by qualifying at midnight. Same deal for the first two practices, which will be held on Thursday. The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be the third Formula One race in the United States this season. Last year the Miami Grand Prix was added to the calendar and the current United States Grand Prix, held at Circuit of the Americas, has been on the calendar since 2012. The Las Vegas circuit is 3.803 miles (6.120 km) long with 17 corners and a 1.181 mile (1.9 km) straight that runs past some of the most iconic hotels and casinos (Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, and the Bellagio to name a few) on Las Vegas Blvd, otherwise known as the Las Vegas Strip, where speeds are expected to reach over 210 mph (338 kph). If that doesn’t get your blood pumping there’s always the roulette wheel or whatever else suits your fancy. Vegas wasn’t nicknamed the city of sin for nothing. Let’s hope nobody gets into trouble, but bring some extra bail money just in case.

The last time Formula One went to Vegas was for a two-year stint in 1981 and ’82 when a temporary track was more or less set up in the parking lot of Caesars Palace and billed as the Caesars Palace Grand Prix. But there was nothing grand or palatial about it. The races only drew a tiny crowd, and it turned out to be a huge loss for Caesars. Since then the track has been described as one of the worst circuits F1 has ever visited. Forty years later, with a new track layout that will accentuate the grandeur and spectacle of the city that never sleeps, Formula One is back in Vegas with the President and CEO of Formula One, Stefano Domenicali, stating…

“The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to take F1 race weekends to the next level. Staging a Grand Prix in the sports and entertainment capital of the world has allowed us to plan a truly spectacular celebration that has never been seen in our sport before, in the greatest arena on earth.”

There is a lot of hype surrounding this race for sure. If you don’t believe it, then take note of the standing room only GA ticket price of $500. On the other end of the spectrum, Wynn LV announced an F1-endorsed “Million-Dollar All-Access Experience”. The cost? Literally one million dollars. The “personally curated” package for six people includes access to Wynn’s private hospitality in F1’s VIP Paddock Club, luxury transportation to and from the paddock and city airport during the four night stay along with access to all of Wynn’s facilities and a jeroboam (double magnum) bottle of champagne. Not to be outdone, Caesars Palace later announced the five-million-dollar “Emperor Package” which includes five nights in a three-bedroom villa with 24-hour butler service and a large terrace overlooking the strip that holds up to 75 guests. Also, there are twelve Paddock Club tickets, dinner for twelve from celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa and a couple of tickets to a sold out Adele show. Of course, the best way to pay for all of this extravagance is to show up a week early and hit the black-jack table. If you lose a hand, just double your bet on the next one until you win the money back. Please note: this strategy is not recommended.

Regardless of whether you can find or afford tickets, the Las Vegas Grand Prix should be interesting. The United States now hosts more Grand Prix races than any other country, largely due to the popularity of the Netflix series “Drive to Survive” and Formula One’s growing fanbase. The Miami Grand Prix was dubbed a huge success in terms of putting on a show, although the track layout left a little to be desired when it came down to racing. There’s no doubt that Las Vegas knows how to host a party, so let’s hope the racing is good. It’s an opportunity to see twenty of the best drivers in the world compete in a spectacular setting with cars that are on the cutting edge of technology and speed. Whether you are trackside or watching from home this is not one to miss.