Yesterday F1 Las Vegas officially kicked off in a ceremony that brought together the Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as well as the 20 Formula One drivers and nine musical performances from a wide variety of genres, with artists like: Andra Day Bishop Brigg; J Balvin; Journey; Keith Urban; Steve Aoki; Swedish House Mafia; Thirty Seconds to Mars; will.i.am as well as Las Vegas residents Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group.
As planned at 7:30 pm local time, just over 30,000 fans gathered around the F1 pit building, located on the northeast corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, and the surrounding stands. Las Vegas converted into a state-of-the-art racing track.
“It was important to us to create an opening ceremony that balanced the spirit of Las Vegas with the global excitement that Formula 1 and these incredible drivers bring to each host city,” Renee Wilm, CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, said in a statement.
“We are proud to be able to work with the best in the entertainment production space to deliver one of the most diverse lineups of beloved music superstars, which will officially launch the race week festivities.”
For the majestic opening ceremony, seven high-tech mobile LED stages were set up to present dancers during several sessions, a light show consisting of a thousand spotlights and 100 lasers, fireworks and a drone show.
Lighting up the Las Vegas skyline#LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/MCuEtNE6iA
— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) November 16, 2023
This Las Vegas GP drone show pic.twitter.com/OgKEAnOsbD
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 16, 2023
"This is a game-changing week for Las Vegas and will be for years, and it will be a lot easier after this year."
Those in charge of bringing the show to life were, among others, Brian Burke, and lighting and set designer Tom Sutherland, from DX7 Design.
A charismatic character who has catapulted himself through, among other jobs, the design of the well-known program American Idol.
“I have been very fortunate to be a part of the Las Vegas entertainment community for over 20 years and create a show that not only celebrates the entertainment capital of the world, but also welcomes the F1LVGP to Las Vegas, it is a true honor,” Burke said.
The stands in front of Caesars Palace, which have been in the news above all, for having been the scene of the sit-ins that pressured an agreement with the casinos on the strip,
Yesterday they were decorated with hundreds of lights and driving in front of them, you experienced for a few moments what an F1 driver might feel.
Investments that cost.
One of the many lessons and contributions that the F1 organization has left is the vehicle bridge on Flamingo Road, which along with other transportation projects such as The Boring Company's Vegas Loop, are steps that the LVCVA can and will take to make this (race) be much less intrusive for everyone.
“We recognize how detrimental this first year has been for the community, the workers here, our visitors; “It is an investment that (F1) has made in our future, their future,” said Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) President and CEO Steve Hill.
What until a few hours ago was in final finishing…
Yesterday it was ready and ready!
Other activities such as the chapels famous for their express marriages and where the participants wake up from a hangover and do not remember it, also participated and will offer F1 services during this season.
This weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix will introduce the first “F1 Wedding Chapel”
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 13, 2023
pic.twitter.com/gMIewzlZyM
Nobody bets!
«The race in this city is comparable to climbing Everest, I take my hat off to Liberty Media for organizing this race. "I don't think I'm the only one in Formula 1 who has never been to this city, which is quite difficult to get around."
Toto Wolff has banned all members of the team from casinos in the population of Nevada.
"As I said, I've never been to Las Vegas, but we will do everything possible to make sure that everyone in the team stays away from the casinos," explained Toto Wolff about the possibilities of the Mercedes people moving to play. "I don't bet and I'll make sure no one else bets either!"
The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix will be held from Nov. 16-18 on a 3.8-mile circuit that includes portions of Las Vegas Boulevard, Koval Lane and Harmon and Sands avenues. Authorities expect 105,000 fans to attend the race each night.
Without a doubt, this evening promises a lot and deserves more coverage… place your bets, Online of course!
