Surprise voice urges Formula 1 to give Las Vegas a ‘chance’

Michelle Foster 16 Nov 2023 4:20 AM

Las Vegas GP track side signage at night.

As Formula 1 gears up for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, Helmut Marko has urged naysayers to give “all the glamour a chance.”

This weekend Formula 1 is in Sin City for the 50-lap Grand Prix, racing along the city’s famous Strip after Las Vegas agreed to shut it down for Formula 1.

The drivers will race past the Venetian, Caesars Palace, Bellagio and Planet Hollywood, all under the watchful light of the Sphere.

‘But you have to give the history with all the glamour a chance’

But will the race live up to the hype, and the reported $500m price tag?

“I’m the wrong person to contact for this,” Marko admitted to OE24. “But you have to give the history with all the glamour a chance.

“I’ll look at the whole thing, then please ask me for my opinion.”

One concern that’s been voiced by many of the drivers is the temperature at night in the desert with the forecast for Friday’s midnight qualifying only eight degrees with that dropping to seven for the Grand Prix.

The Red Bull motorsport advisor reckons that could make it difficult for the teams to nail their set-ups.

“It hasn’t been that cold at any Grand Prix this year. The track is new and we have no experience with these asphalt temperatures. These are completely new requirements for set-up,” he said.

“I’m curious to see how the long straights work in reality. Since there are no support races, a strong track evolution is to be expected.”

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Red Bull head into Saturday night’s race chasing a record-breaking 18th win for Max Verstappen, which would be the team’s 20th overall for the year.

Although Red Bull have broken just about every F1 record this season, Marko says the goal is to wrap up the year with the final two race wins.

“We also want to win the remaining two races, which is why we are pushing ahead,” he said.

Ensuring Sergio Perez takes second place in the standings is another goal but one Marko reckons they have in the bag.

“Checo is 32 points ahead of Hamilton, that should actually be enough…” he added.