It’s official—Formula 1 is heading to Las Vegas in 2023.
The Las Vegas race will give the United States three Grands Prix, joining races in Miami and Austin, Texas. The street race will incorporate some of Las Vegas’ world-renowned landmarks and one section of track will be along the famous Strip of Las Vegas Blvd., between the hotels and casinos, and alongside the Bellagio Fountain.
BY PHILLIP HORTON, Auto Week
The counter clockwise 6.1 km (3.8-mile) circuit will feature 14 corners and the race distance will run across 50 laps. The pits and paddock area is set to be just off East Harmon Avenue before the circuit heads back onto Koval Lane, and then loops around the MSG Sphere, which is currently under construction.
A brief segment along curved Sands Avenue will take drivers onto the Strip at the Palazzo Hotel. The section of track along the Strip will run for approximately 1.2 miles until a complex of corners brings drivers back onto East Harmon Avenue.
The race itself will take place beneath the neon lights, held on Saturday night. It will be Formula 1’s first Saturday race since 1985. An exact date has not yet been confirmed but the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place in November 2023.
Formula 1 and its commercial rights holder Liberty Media will work together to promote the event in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International and Wynn Las Vegas will act as Founding Partners while MGS Sphere, Resorts World Las Vegas and The Venetian Resort are onboard as Presenting Partners.
“Iconic Las Vegas and Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, is the perfect marriage of speed and glamour,” said Liberty Media CEO and president Greg Maffei. “Our confidence in this unique opportunity is evident in our decision to assume the promoter role for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in partnership with Live Nation. We could not be more excited to work with our local partners to create a marquee event. The potential of Formula 1 has been well demonstrated over the last several seasons and the Las Vegas GP will only take it to the next level.”
The official announcement was made in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
“This is an incredible moment for Formula 1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the U.S.,” said Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. “Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip. There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year. I want to thank everyone who helped deliver this event, especially Governor Sisolak, the Clark County Commission, Steve Hill at the LVCVA, and our local partners.”
Formula 1 has long targeted the United States as an area for expansion but the ambition has increasingly become a reality under U.S.-based Liberty Media, which acquired the championship in 2017.
TV numbers are up, facilitated by the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, while last year’s U.S. Grand Prix at Austin was the best-attended event on the 2021 schedule.
Austin holds a fresh five-year deal to continue as the United States Grand Prix through 2026 while Miami is the high-profile addition to the 2022 calendar. The inaugural Miami Grand Prix, around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, will be held on May 8, the first event in a 10-year contract.
Formula 1 previously headed to Las Vegas in 1981-82, but an uninspiring circuit set up in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel proved uninspiring. It failed to draw a crowd, it ran at a loss, and it was soon dropped.
Formula 1 last visited Las Vegas 40 years ago.
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