Formula One’s eagerly anticipated return to Las Vegas has been let’s face it a complete and utter disaster. Cracks started to show literally from the moment the cars hit the track on Thursday night with Carlos Sainz’ having hit concrete surrounds on a man-hole cover forcing the session to be suspended after just eight minutes.
In the second practice which was delayed by over three hours due to track repairs to all of the man-hole covers around the track, it was then confirmed that fans would not be allowed back trackside.
Fans who attended Thursday were then offered a $200 voucher which in this reporter’s opinion is a slap in the face to the fans who have paid so much to be at the race. When it came to qualifying there were very few fans in the grandstands. It will be interesting to see what race day brings.
The Las Vegas race is reportedly due to be on the calendar for the next ten years but despite the hype, the race is not a sell-out by any stretch of the imagination due to the extortionate ticket prices coupled with the fact that residents are not happy with the fact that the race is in town.
World champion Max Verstappen said he felt like a clown during the launch party ahead of the weekend when the drivers came out on a platform that came from the ground. Verstappen also described the Monaco Grand Prix as the Premier League and the Las Vegas race as the Fifth Division which is not a good endorsement at all from the current Formula One world champion.
The other big issue is the fact that Formula One and LVGP issued a statement on Friday but neither party issued an apology.