Tag: F1

Formula 1 star Max Verstappen on Las Vegas GP chaos: ‘If I were a fan, I would tear the whole place down’

Max Verstappen empathizes with angry fans over Las Vegas Grand Prix chaos.

Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend hasn’t exactly been a smooth addition to the racing schedule. Actually, it probably couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start, even if the circuit is pretty cool.

For people in attendance, as well as the U.S. audience in general, the practice and race starting times in the middle of the night are less than ideal. And the start times, along with general cold weather in the desert in November, could create tire issues. That’s just baseline stuff.

The first practice Thursday night was a disaster and ended after just eight minutes. It was first delayed and then canceled after a loose drain cover caused major damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

Investigating the track to figure out the issue seriously delayed the the start of the second practice session Friday morning until 2:30 a.m. local time, and the understandably furious fans who showed up to watch were ultimately removed from the grandstands.

While F1 had previously apologized to the people and city of Las Vegas for the disruptions, especially along the Vegas Strip, the race has caused, organizers still have yet to issue a public apology for all the chaos or offer any refunds.

More via The Athletic:

But you know what F1 did do to demonstrate its regret? As a “thank you for your support,” it graciously issued a $200 voucher to the race’s official store to all single-day pass holders for Thursday.

Yikes.

And it certainly seems like three-time F1 champ Max Verstappen is on the side of the fans. According to Motorsport.com and Autosport, Verstappen’s response to learning about the $200 voucher was very clear:

“If I were a fan, I would tear the whole place down.”

Yeah, fair enough for this disaster.

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11 awesome Sphere photos from F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix practice

The Sphere continues to be the coolest.

The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix got off to a — literal — bumpy start when Carlos Sainz drove over a loose drain cover that damaged his car during practice just minutes in.

But the visuals of cars racing through and around the Las Vegas strip are very cool at least, and we’re here to concentrate on the Sphere, the structure that has wowed everyone ever since it went operational. The Sphere will show all kinds of stuff during practice, qualifying and the race itself, but not certain colors that might confuse the drivers.

Let’s take a look at the Sphere during practice and all the stuff it showed in some dazzling photos:

F1 fans had so many jokes about the Las Vegas loose drain cover that caused chaos

So much money spent for the Vegas race and a loose drain cover caused chaos.

Obviously, let’s start off with a fact: Drain covers around Formula 1 circuits can be a dangerous thing, and we’re glad that Carlos Sainz and the other drivers are safe after the Ferrari star saw his car get damaged by the problem in Las Vegas.

That said, given all the hype around the F1 race in Sin City and the concerns about weather, the track, the inconveniencing of locals, it’s just another absurdity it took just nine minutes before a track issue caused practice to be cancelled. Technically, it was a concrete frame around a water valve that came loose, causing dangerous debris.

With that in mind, here’s a roundup of all the jokes made about the drain cover that caused chaos:

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See every angle of the F1 Las Vegas loose drain cover that tore up Carlos Sainz’s car

What an absolute disaster for a race that already had questions swirling about it.

There have been plenty of concerns about the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix heading into the first race there since 1982.

And in the first practice session, disaster struck early on Friday.

As the drivers were going around the track, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari hit a loose drain cover, sending sparks everywhere and damaging the heck out of the bottom of his car. The practice session was stopped, the drain cover was fixed, and eventually the cars got back out. But Sainz will get a penalty on race day — which feels really unfair — and his car got back out, performing very well once everything got fixed.

Here are videos of the incident, plus photos of the damage:

 

What a disaster all around.

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See the cool F1 Las Vegas track view from a camera inside the safety car

Check out what the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix track looks like from inside the safety car.

With the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix looming, we’ve seen the track construction, the photos from afar and what it all looks like at night with a drone.

Now, with practice, qualifying and the race nearly upon us, how about a look from INSIDE the track, with a camera on the safety car? We’ve got that thanks to a video Formula 1 provided. You can see how it winds through the Las Vegas strip, surrounded by hotels, all the neon lights and so on. And then another view shows the lap around the track and how it all fits in to the strip.

It’s pretty wild:

How the Las Vegas Sphere will play a role in the F1 Grand Prix while not confusing drivers

The Sphere will be used A LOT this weekend at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

There’s so much buzz about The Sphere in Las Vegas after it opened, from the moment it went operational to all the videos inside of it.

And now, it’ll be very present during the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023. Already, during the opening ceremonies on Wednesday, we saw F1 images show on the Sphere.

So what will be on it during the race? That’s a good question, especially because drivers will be able to see it inside the track. Per Motorsport.com, there’s an agreement in place for the exterior NOT to show red, yellow and blue colors, in case a driver mistakes that for the colors of various instructions from FIA using their flag system (for example, a yellow flag means to slow down).

What you will see, per Fox 5 Vegas, is this:

The Sphere says that on race day itself, Saturday, Nov. 18, content including real-time pole position and a custom podium moment that will celebrate the race’s winner will be displayed on the Exosphere.
“Sphere’s Exosphere doesn’t just complement the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, it elevates it to new heights, turning every lap into a mesmerizing experience for fans in attendance and watching on TV globally,” said Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer for Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc. “Picture real-time pole positions, thrilling podium celebrations, and a dynamic showcase of all 20 drivers and their iconic cars displayed larger-than-life. We are excited to have Sphere at the heart of race weekend.”

The F1 Las Vegas track has a real chapel you can get married in, because Vegas

Yes, this is real.

The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix promises to have some Sin City quirks (did you see the card suits on the kerbs?) even if some parts of the actual race may be chaotic.

That includes — I kid you not — an actual chapel at the paddock where you can get married. It’s SO VEGAS. There’s even a little play on the F1 phrase when a race starts: “Lights out and together we go,” which is like the “Lights out and away we go” from David Croft at the beginning of ever race.

I could not love this more. Can’t wait to see if someone actually gets married there:

This nighttime drone shot of Formula 1’s new Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit is so cool

It’s a beautiful circuit that includes part of the Las Vegas Strip.

Formula 1 is making its long-awaited return in the Nevada desert with the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, but while racing fans are eager to see what the new street circuit can offer, things aren’t seamless.

The race is get to begin at 10 p.m. local time, which means 1 a.m. ET, and then, aside from the race being in the middle of the night for much of the U.S., there’s also a potential issue with the general temperatures in the desert in November.

But it’s not all bad! Although Formula 1 formally apologized to the city and people of Las Vegas for the massive disruptions because of the race, the street circuit itself looks pretty cool.

And this nighttime drone shot is even cooler, showing off the course with the Vegas strip and lights in the background:

For the Las Vegas GP, drivers will complete 50 laps around the 6.201-kilometer circuit, which includes parts of the Las Vegas Strip. The 17-turn course will take drivers past iconic venues like Caesars Palace, the Bellagio and the Venetian.

F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is set for Sunday, Nov. 19 at 12:55 a.m. ET on ESPN.

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The possible F1 Las Vegas tire issues due to cold Nevada temperatures, explained

We could be in for a chaotic F1 Las Vegas race.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering why there’s a lot of chatter about the brand-new Formula 1 race in Las Vegas and how there could be tire issues? If so, we’re here to help.

That’s right, we’re only a few days away from the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, a race that promises to look really damn cool as the sport’s drivers zoom around in the dark along the strip.

But there are rumblings about the weather and how it could cause a lot of chaos. Let’s break it all down:

Get to know the Formula One drivers playing alongside PGA Tour stars in the Netflix Cup

Don’t know much about Formula One or its drivers? We’ve got you covered.

Netflix will air its first live sporting event on Tuesday night with the Netflix Cup, a golf event featuring four teams of PGA Tour players paired with Formula One drivers.

Held at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas – ranked 19th on Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 casino golf courses in the U.S. – the 6 p.m. ET event will look to play off the success of the streaming service’s Full Swing and Drive to Survive shows that follow both the PGA Tour and Formula One, respectively. Formula One will host its first-ever race on the Strip in Las Vegas later this weekend.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the world of Formula One, get to know the four drivers who will be teeing it up with Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.