F1 News: Las Vegas GP expects 300,000+ fans over weekend

The Las Vegas GP announced they expect to host over 300,000 fans during the 3-day weekend for the Formula 1 race next weekend based on ticket sales and race related events.

In addition to ticket holders with multi-day or single day passes, they will be joined by fans who are participating in race-related activations such as the free, daytime F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Fan Experience, which is fully booked on Friday and Saturday with a capacity of over 25,000 attendees per day.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari SF-23 at turn one during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Both teams and resort partners are also offering incredible race-related events and activations for locals and visitors who travel to Las Vegas during race weekend, including the wildly popular Shoey Bar at Bellagio, the Ultimate Race Week festivities at Wynn, curated dining experiences at Caesars Palace, the exclusive Aston Martin British Bloodline at Fontainebleau, and much more.

With exactly one week to go until the FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2024, the Las Vegas GP staff are laser focused on creating an unforgettable experience for the local community and the hundreds of thousands of people who are expected to visit Las Vegas across the weekend.

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Celebration Planned for Verstappen

Organizers have revealed that grand celebrations will be pre-planned, anticipating the possibility of Max Verstappen clinching the 2024 Drivers’ Championship following the race on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

Though Verstappen widened his lead over Lando Norris to 62 points in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, keeping the championship open in theory, his chances of clinching the title during the Las Vegas Grand Prix are high. Verstappen will secure the title automatically if Norris fails to gain at least three more points than him in Las Vegas.

As a result, the organizers are keeping that angle in mind, with Las Vegas GP CEO Renee Wilm stating that they would be able to pre-arrange something in case Verstappen wins the championship in Las Vegas. Motorsport.com reported that discussions have been held between the race organizers and Red Bull about possible plans to celebrate Verstappen’s achievement, should he secure the championship title during the event. Wilm said:

“I’m sure that we would be able to pull some ideas out of our hat, maybe pre-arrange some pretty exciting opportunities.

“When you consider the properties on the Strip – Wynn and Encore are second to none in terms of the highest class of hospitality. Then, of course, you have the Bellagio further down the Strip, with those iconic fountains, and the level of VIP service that the Bellagio offers.

“There are so many opportunities to highlight the drivers, and particularly if we actually do have the benefit of being able to get a champion (crowned).”

2023 Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Unlike last year, when Verstappen had already secured the world championship before the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, Wilm notes that with the title still up for grabs, a late surge in ticket sales is likely, as fans eagerly anticipate joining celebrities for the event’s second edition. She added:

“Oh, absolutely I think the fact that the championship is still up for grabs is incredibly influential, particularly in the US market.

“I think there’s the legacy fans that are oftentimes more focused, maybe on how their team or their driver is performing, whereas in the US, we love to see good competition, and it’s less about who the particular team or driver is.

“So to know that there is still so much on the line and that the championship is going to be up for grabs, and the fact you’ve had so many different drivers on the podium is itself creating a lot of excitement and buzz.

“I’ve always said it’s the perfect marriage of speed and glamour in Las Vegas, and I’m going to continue to believe that, because you couldn’t think of another place in the world – putting aside Monaco – where you could have this level of hospitality and bring in this caliber of celebrities to enjoy everything that Las Vegas has to offer.

“We could not be happier with the turnout we had last year from our celebrity fans, and we’re very excited about everyone heading out this year as well. We obviously have our red carpet.

“It was absolutely packed last year, and we’re looking forward to welcoming back many of those celebrities, as well as some new ones as well, who are really excited about heading out to Las Vegas.”