Despite the many criticisms before and during the event, the return of Formula 1 to Las Vegas after a forty-year absence was a great success. Despite having only a few months to set up the entire operation in time for the Grand Prix, the organizers, through a real race against time, managed to deliver a unique spectacle to fans. However, the 2024 edition promises even more significant surprises.
Las Vegas GP 2023: A Race Against Time
“It was a beautiful challenge,” said Silvia Ballot, Senior Director of Operations for the Las Vegas GP, and the first race director in the history of F1. “We were all very excited, but as the race approached, we were all very busy.”
“As for me, I didn’t have the chance to understand everything that was happening until the end of the race. When the checkered flag came out, the entire team working with us cheered and celebrated. When I saw the images for the first time, I couldn’t believe what the team had put together. It was the biggest race ever, and I think everyone agrees.”
While it’s true that, on the one hand, Formula 1 provided a colossal budget for the entire event (about 500 million dollars), on the other hand, the organizers did an incredible job to ensure everything was ready in record time in just under a year.
The only setback that almost seriously compromised the event was the now infamous manhole cover issue, which caused considerable damage to Carlos Sainz and Ferrari, leading to the cancellation of FP1 after a few minutes and FP2 being held at 2:30 local time, something never seen before in the history of Formula 1.
“It was the biggest challenge for all of us, not only for the team I work for but also for the event, from a commercial and operational point of view,” added Silvia Ballot. “I thought organizing a race in eight weeks in Qatar in 2021 was a challenge, but here in Las Vegas, it was something much, much bigger.”
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“Anyone who thinks it’s easy to close an area in the center of one of the largest cities is mistaken. It’s a very big challenge. But even closing one of the most fun and crowded roads in the world like the Las Vegas Boulevard is a completely different level.”
“As you can imagine, the planning was very long. It’s not a project that comes together overnight. It took a lot of planning, especially from the group of architects who designed almost 100 different track layouts.”
“They decided to choose the current one because the Las Vegas GP and Liberty Media thought this was the best option to showcase the city but also to have exciting races here. There was great planning, even before I joined the company.”
Another fear of the organizers was that the cold could create many problems on the track. Fortunately, the temperatures were higher than expected, with the track actually providing great grip with all types of tire compounds.
The 2024 edition promises even more spectacle
If the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix confirmed the high expectations, next year’s edition promises even more sparks from the entertainment perspective: “Everyone thinks the first year is difficult because everything is new, but in the second year, everyone expects perfection. In the coming months, we will have to debrief, work with our partners, and offer an even better event in 2024.”
“We will have many more surprises for 2024. Next year, the GP will be towards the end of the season, so we have some time to work on it. There will be many surprises. We want to make sure to keep the Las Vegas Grand Prix as the entertainment capital, not only in the United States but also in the Formula 1 circuit.”
“We made a lot of efforts to explain to the properties and our partners what is at stake. Now that everyone has had the chance to experience the Las Vegas GP and what F1 can offer, we will have much more support than we had this year.”
Finally, Ballot promises that everyone will remain satisfied and amazed next year as well: “This year we had incredible support, but having the first race under our belt will create an even bigger event in 2024. There will be more fun things, and everyone will be excited about the future. We will once again offer the best entertainment in F1 circuits.”
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