Las Vegas Grand Prix week arrives, what to expect as F1 returns to the Strip

The fourth edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place later this week, bringing tens of thousands of fans to the city to take in the racing action.

Tickets are nearly sold out for this year’s race activities from Thursday through Saturday on the 3.8-mile circuit that includes Las Vegas Boulevard and Koval Lane running north-south and on Harmon Avenue and Sands Avenue, running east-west.

The majority of the high-end hospitality tickets are sold out, with some options left in the main grandstand across from the pit building and at the grandstands and general admission area at Sphere.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and CEO Steve Hill said outside of the first year of the race in 2023, this year is tracking as the most in-demand of the four years the event has been taking place.

“I think Formula One as well as our resort properties and partners would tell you, it has been one with the most demand, (outside) of year one, which is always going to be the one with the most demand,” Hill said. “We’ve seen ticket sales happen more quickly. We’ve seen room bookings happen more quickly. There’s just people who understand what this event in Vegas is and want to be a part of it.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said the race has been a great addition to the city with an impact that has reached farther than just race weekend itself.

“I think they have a few hiccups along the way, but now it’s in its fourth year, so not to use the pun, I think things are speeding along in a good way,” Rosen told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “F1 has made real investments in the Las Vegas community, in our education, in our convention, tourist business, all of those things. They’ve been a very good partner and that makes a huge difference.”

Race weekend

The three-day event includes multiple fan zones set up around the 3.8-mile circuit, with three practice sessions between Thursday and Friday, qualifying on Friday and the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday. The all-female F1 Academy returns this year as a support race, in its season finale.

Gates to the spectator zones will open at 2:30 p.m. each day with sessions starting at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is set to begin at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Local Las Vegas entertainers, world-renowned DJs and live nightly concerts will take place at the Sphere Zone stage as well as the Heineken stage behind the main grandstand. This year’s event will be capped off by a post-race afterparty with the Backstreet Boys in Sphere.

Coordinated effort

Hosting the race is a coordinated effort between Clark County Public Works, Clark County Department of Aviation, Clark County Business License and Special Events, Clark County Building Department, Clark County Communications and Strategy, Southern Nevada Health District, Southern Nevada Water District, Southern Nevada Water Reclamation, Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County Fire Department, Clark County Commission chairman Michael Naft said during a F1 preview news conference.

“While we are constantly emphasizing the economic impact of events like this in our community, the million and a half eyeballs around the world that will be on this event, the hundreds of thousands, 200,000 individuals expected to attend the race this year, we prioritize above all of that the public safety,” Naft said. (Of) our visitors’ safety here in Clark County and the work that our law enforcement officers have done in preparation, but also the dozens of agencies and departments that have a role in this event.”

Metropolitan Police Department Undersheriff Andy Walsh said safety is paramount in overseeing major events such as the Grand Prix.

“The Las Vegas Grand Prix is much more than a race,” Walsh said. “It is a major international event that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to our community and requires an extraordinary amount of preparation and cooperation. Over the past three years, we have gained valuable experience in managing this event.”

Although there have been no serious safety incidents during the previous three years, Walsh said the department still prepares for anything that could happen during an event as large as the race.

“We never become complacent in our preparedness, and our commitment to public safety remains our top priority,” Walsh said.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix gets the same special event treatment as the Super Bowl or New Year’s Eve on the Strip, Walsh said.

“The years of doing big events like this have prepared us so well,” Walsh said. “But I think the key point though is that we’re constantly looking at what can happen, what can go wrong, how do we mitigate things if they were to happen, how do we prevent stuff, paying attention to world events, what the current threat picture looks like.”

The Multi-Agency Coordination Center, run by the Clark County Fire Department Office of Emergency Management, will be coordinating with 54 different private and public agencies throughout the event to ensure the race and the Las Vegas Valley are monitored for a timely response to emergencies, according to Clark County Fire Department Chief Billy Samuels.

“Our fire department has staffed up to deploy resources into the race venue itself and along the Strip,” Samuels said. “On the medical side, we also have the private agencies and ambulances that are going to be assisting with that medical coverage to ensure that the event is taken care of and along with the rest of the valley itself.”

Pedestrian bridge safety

Crews have covered the pedestrian bridges that cross over the Strip, Harmon and Sands, to ensure fans aren’t lingering on them in an attempt to watch the race, due to safety issues. They also prevent people from throwing or dropping objects on the track below them.

Metro will again be policing the bridges to ensure pedestrian movement is not impeded, Walsh said.

“We will continue educating the public about the importance of following instructions and complying with the safety measures that we have put in place,” Walsh said. “And when necessary, officers will take enforcement action, including issuing citations or even making arrests.”

As is the case for most major events on the Strip, glass bottles will be banned during Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. The ban will go into place on Tuesday and run through end of the race, Walsh said.

Walking race

Since the Las Vegas Grand Prix is a street circuit, the race is a walking race for spectators due to the multiple road closures needed to put on the event. Attendees who are not staying on the Strip are asked to park and walk over from the various resorts on the Strip or get dropped off by a taxi or ride-hailing service.

“We will have four rideshare locations — Tuscany Suites and Casino, Park MGM, Howard Hughes Center, and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas,” said Lori Nelson Kraft, Las Vegas Grand Prix senior vice president of community affairs. “The Las Vegas Monorail will remain an important transportation infrastructure with locals being able to access passes for a dollar. And to support the resort corridor for those properties in and around the circuit, we will be hosting an employee mobility program to offer park and ride services for the thousands of hospitality workers to get them in so they can service all the guests.”

The employee mobility program will begin on Tuesday and run through the 22nd, Nelson Kraft said.

“In order to host the thousands of guests, we’re going to be bringing and the thousands more who are coming to Vegas even if it’s not for our race. It is so important for our hospitality workers to be able to get in and out of their shifts seamlessly as we are shutting down roads and things are limited,” Nelson Kraft said. “So we continue to learn we continue to improve and we continue to reinvest in Southern Nevada and our infrastructure we want this to be good for everyone.”

Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.