Q: F1 fan since 1966. I did not attend the Las Vegas race, but two of my friends did so I’m looking at it from their viewpoint since they’re the young people who got interested in F1 from Drive To Survive. One of them was in Montreal during the V10 era so she had something to compare Vegas to. First thing that they noticed and didn’t like was the sound of the cars. “Plastic-type V6 Mustang sound” was her comment. “Not impressed.”
I know that’s no fault of Las Vegas but it just shows one how the sound of those V10s still rings in her head 18 years later.
The inability to travel to other parts of the track during practice was a big negative. Nothing going on using the track all day was another issue. It seemed to them this was more about the show then about the race itself, and they followed that up about how many of the people attending weren’t really motorsport enthusiasts. Before the race itself felt more like New Year’s Eve than a race.
Hotel prices along with high ticket prices were another issue. They didn’t get them until the week before, when prices plummeted. The late hours were another problem. This same couple attended their first NHRA national a few weeks before in Las Vegas. They left there with an experience they couldn’t really describe and really wanting more of it, and it only cost $50 each for Friday tickets. Couldn’t believe how good a deal that was. They didn’t feel the same from the F1 event.
The last F1 race I attended was 1980 at Watkins Glen. On TV, the Las Vegas race was pretty decent; however, for someone like me to attend I’d offer a few suggestions. This is a race in the USA, therefore it only makes sense that TV coverage should be geared to that. Starting time for East Coast residents at 1am is ridiculous, not to mention on Thursday and Friday everyone looked tired. I’d suggest a starting time of 5pm. Race starts in daylight, ends in nightfall and the Europeans can just go to bed late like our citizens did this year.
Make large sections of the track general admission for Thursday for $50. Rest of the weekend, make ticket prices reasonable. Have support races of some kind throughout the weekend. F2, Porsche Cup, Vintage F1 (would be great) or heck, make a deal with IndyCar to have Indy NXT. Something on track to build the excitement. They do some of that, and this old guy will make the four-hour trip.
Nick Plenzick, Clarkdale, AZ
CM: I think everyone would love more track action over the weekend, Nick, and hopefully that will be the case next year. The problem is partly space — where do you put a support paddock? — but mainly time. The track needed to be closed for the shortest amount of time possible as it was being re-opened to traffic each day, given the importance to move people around to locations on the Strip.
That’s also a reason for the late timing, as the city only allowed F1 to close everything down late at night to try and minimize disruption, while still taking place at a time that some in the city would deem it an entertainment option. TV timings did play some part, but as races in Japan or Australia show, they’re not everything and I agree it should be more U.S.-friendly in future (it was also a brutal schedule to work on the ground, I can tell you).
That’s odd about the inability to move to other parts of the track. Usually GA tickets allow roaming and on practice days you can sit in any grandstand. It may well have been that they would have been allowed to do so, but for the issue with the track that basically meant there was no running on the Thursday night.
I’d expect hotel prices to be much lower next year, as all stakeholders seemed to admit that was a big error, and there will be cheaper tickets, too. But not as low as $50, as the race does cost a lot of money to stage and needs to make money, and is targeting itself at much higher price points. As frustrating as that is for people who want to go, having three races with three different pricing structures in the U.S. helps differentiate them too, so isn’t a silly move even if there will need to be better value for money in 2024 if the race wants to sell out.
All that said, I was pleasantly surprised how Vegas was still exactly how Vegas is across the weekend, only with loads of F1 fans walking around in merchandise. F1 was clearly in town, but on the whole it didn’t stop the usual entertainment, so it would be tough to be bored.
A screaming V10 would certainly sound epic, though.
Q: With the announcement of GM committing to being an F1 PU manufacturer, is Formula One Management more or less likely to accept Andretti?
Unlike everyone else, I think GM may have given Formula 1 an easy out: Accept GM and reject Andretti. Before GM signed on as a PU manufacturer, FOM was in an all-or-nothing position: rejecting Andretti was rejecting GM. Now, they can reject Andretti and dare GM to pull out — which is what I think they will do.
What are your thoughts?
Ed Joras
CM: I think it makes it more likely. GM has made it clear it’s only interested in partnering with Andretti and not entering at all costs, and the timing of 2028 allows it to make good on that promise. If Andretti’s bid for 2025 or 2026 doesn’t get approved — and there really should be movement over the winter — then GM won’t have committed anything yet.
You don’t actually get to accept a power unit manufacturer. FOM has no say in that. The FIA simply has to homologate it as a legal power unit, and a team sign a partnership to run it. So F1 itself could never make that decision, and it now means if FOM turns around and still says no to Andretti then it will be turning down a power unit manufacturer at the same time, which would likely be extremely damaging.
FOM needs an even more compelling and clear reason to say no after GM’s statement.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, November 20, 2013
Q: I had many opportunities to speak with Dario Franchitti, probably like many fans. Dario and I talked about what it was like to drive Jim Clark’s Indy 500 Lotus and most recently the great racing at Baltimore. Every time we talked, he treated me as if I were his neighbor in Scotland.
But more than that, I loved how he took time with the kids who wanted a photo or autograph. Dario will retire as one of the all time best IndyCar drivers. And winning the Indy 500 three times makes him immortal. So I know first hand how engaging he is and I had the good fortune to see all his 500 victories, but I’m aware that you are closer to him and know much more about what went into his success as a driver. What will you remember about Dario?
Gerry Courtney, San Francisco, CA
ROBIN MILLER: How quickly he adapted to 900 horsepower and the CART tracks, but mostly how instantly competitive he was against a great field of drivers. He wasn’t intimidated or awed by his new surroundings, he walked in like he belonged, because he did. And I loved to argue with him about cars, tracks, TGBB and all things racing. But his personality, sense of humor, intelligence and sense of history made him as good off the track as he was on it.