By Leilah Ortega
Formula 1 Grand Prix in Vegas had 315,000 people in attendance. Cars raced down Las Vegas Strip Nov. 16 to 18, making it the 21st round of the 2023 season.
F1 Destinations, publication of F1, noted, “The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix’s attendance is an impressive figure for an inaugural event. When the Miami Grand Prix joined the calendar in 2022, its first race attracted a weekend crowd of just over 240,000. The Miami figure grew in 2023, to 270,000. The Las Vegas race is the second-best attended race in the United States this year, behind the United States Grand Prix. The race at Circuit of The Americas had a weekend attendance of 432,000, 8,000 down on the previous season.”
Some College of Southern Nevada students eagerly awaited this race; a once-distant experience was now held in their own city.
CSN student Edward Bravo said, “The most popular Motorsport in the world racing in the Las Vegas Strip is crazy. Just look how beautiful the views were with all the lights from the casinos beaming on the cars.”
CSN student Carla Valdez said, “My family and I always root for Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez because he is the only Mexican Latino driver in F1. We are very proud of him for representing our country and culture.”
Valdez said, “Everything about this race is unique.” She mentioned the short track and how that made for a more competitive race with cars reaching incredible speeds.
According to F1’s website, “Located in the heart of Las Vegas, the new 6.2 km, 17-turn street circuit winds its way past iconic locations like Ceasars Palace, the Bellagio and the Venetian. With average speeds expected to match Monza, otherwise known as F1’s Temple of Speed, there promises to be plenty of action and overtaking.” It was estimated the top speed was 212 mph.
As for the future of this annual event, there are some concerns about the effects of hosting for an entire decade, traffic in the city and the impacts on the community and Strip.
Jesus DeLeon, a CSN student, stated, “I believe in the next 10 years F1 will bring more attention to Las Vegas and bring a type of crowd that wasn’t present before, as well as more traffic.”
The future of F1 in Vegas is worth watching. The race was world-renowned and garnered massive success and profit though some negative impacts.
Coyote Student News at the College of Southern Nevada 