Aviva Fried (US correspondent) / Photo credit: TAYFUN COSKUN / ANADOLU / ANADOLU VIA AFP
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3:06 p.m., November 19, 2023
Beyond the sporting event, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen triumph for the 18th time, was marked by excess, with big parties and concerts. But it was also particularly chaotic. And did not necessarily win support from the residents of Sin City.
The Grand Prix of excess. The Formula 1 race, organized this weekend in Las Vegas in the United States, resulted in the coronation of Dutch champion Max Verstappen for the 18th time of the season. For the occasion, the entire city was transformed into a gigantic construction site to accommodate the cars. Work which disrupted the daily lives of residents, with huge traffic jams and condemned streets. Traders also suffered. This is the case of Wade Bond, whose convenience store is blocked by one of the new installations, and who has lost 80% of his turnover.
Catastrophic test sessions
“Here, we’re like on an island that’s disappearing. If this bridge becomes permanent, it’s over for me. We didn’t need F1,” he tackles at the microphone of Europe 1. The organization cost half a billion dollars. With results far from up to par. The test sessions were disastrous, with fans even asked to leave for safety reasons. Unacceptable: some spectators filed a complaint seeking damages.
The search for great spectacle seems to have gone too far. Driver Lewis Hamilton, interviewed by SkySport, also warned against these excesses. “We can’t show up like a circus, with glitz and glamour, and have a negative impact on people,” he analyzes. To make things easier, the organizers claim that the economic benefits will be more than a billion and a half dollars for Las Vegas. Even if this first edition seems far from having had its fill of visitors.