Formula 1 has officially hit the track in Las Vegas. Well, quite literally. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz hit a drain cover and suffered major damage, which resulted in the sport canceling FP1. It was a disastrous start to the weekend as people around the world already have mixed feelings about Formula 1 competing in one of America’s biggest cities.
This is something that Mercedes driver [autotag]Lewis Hamilton[/autotag] has noticed as well. Prior to the on-track action kicking off, Hamilton talked to Sky Sports News about Formula 1 being in Las Vegas. The seven-time world champion was adamant in his desire for the sport to respect the local residents.
“I’ve heard there’s been a lot of complaints about the event being here from the locals,” Hamilton said. “I think we have to be respectful of the locals here, so many people working so hard — there’s a lot of money and wealth in this city.”
Charles and Max battle it out on the Las Vegas Strip đź‘€#LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/WL9JunQw7c
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 17, 2023
“We’ve got to make sure people are taken care of. We can’t be a circus that shows up that’s all glitz and glamour and people are affected negatively by it, in my opinion.”
Hamilton also said in a press conference on Wednesday night that he hopes Formula 1 will be able to “do things better so people aren’t disrupted as much.” The Mercedes driver is one of the sport’s icons so when he talks, everyone listens. Hopefully, Formula 1 is listening and trying their best to make this event as smooth as possible.
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