[Editor’s Note: Here are some recent updates regarding the Formula One race. They were graciously provided by our F1 expert and LVA correspondent extraordinaire, Peter R.
Tickets
Leftover F1 tickets are for sale at $200 a day for grandstand seating, but only for Nevada residents and, as far as we can tell, only today through midnight. The press release was utterly opaque, but news reports indicate that the $200 price ends exactly at the end of today. (Don’t quote us.) The former best price was $500 for general admission, standing room only, for all 3 days. Formula 1 is touting the lower price as compensation for locals who suffered through all the road construction and closures, but obviously it’s an attempt to get rid of unsold seats.
Expect prices to drop further. Caesars hasn’t sold its $5 million Nobu Sky Villa Emperor Package. Originally, Adele was given the Nobu Villa to stay in during her residency, but Caesars figured they could make more money renting it out and offered her a villa at the Rio. She got pissed off and checked into the Wynn.
Best and Most Expensive Seats
The sky boxes above the grandstands across from the paddock will provide the best view of the start/finish line, plus the pits and garages where the teams prepare the cars and mechanics change all four tires in 2 seconds flat during the race. They’re in a luxurious indoor area with bar and food.
Another optimum viewing spot is the Cosmopolitan corner suites with wraparound balconies facing north and east. From these, you can watch the cars approaching at more than 200 mph, possibly pass at the end of the straight using the DRS (drag-reduction system), and then brake hard at the last moment to make the left turn onto Harmon. It’s a great spot to watch some of the live action and keep track of the whole picture on TV inside a warm room, while enjoying your own food and beverages without having to go anywhere when it’s over.
Or you can hang out at the Paddock Club with the VIPs and celebrities, located in the building above the pits. Several resorts have their own club restaurants and bars there. You still have to go back to your hotel or home afterwards, but they arrange transportation.
Not the Best Seats
At the Bellagio Fountain Club, an exclusive area of the grandstands in front of the lake, food and drinks are included, but you will see only a blur of the cars passing by at high speed. At some Club spots, the view of the turn onto Harmon might be blocked by the pedestrian bridge. And it will be cold, especially when the fountains go off behind your back. Same goes for Club Paris at Alexxa’s, Beer Park, and Chéri Rooftop. They want $5,995 for all three days, including food and drinks. We had lunch at Alexxa’s a couple of days ago and the waiter told us they still had plenty of tickets left.
Very Best Seats
Watch it at home on ESPN on the couch. Enjoy your own snacks and drinks and go to bed when it’s over. Pause the DVR to use the restroom. No travel, no parking, and no hassle.
F1 World Championship
Something to consider is that the Las Vegas race is close to the end of the 2023 season. Team Red Bull has already won the Constructors Championship Trophy. Max Verstappen is only 3 points short of becoming World Champion driver for the third year in a row. So the Las Vegas race will be mainly for entertainment, kind of like watching the Super Bowl when you already know who won. Fans will come anyway; they’ve already booked their nonrefundable flights, rooms, and tickets, and they’ll have a good time, but the championship will be mostly decided before the race starts.
Renaming-the-Paddock Controversy
The name “paddock” brings back bad memories in Las Vegas. That was the last name of the lunatic who perpetrated the October 1, 2017, mass shooting. There have been suggestions to rename the building for that reason, but it’s a universal term used worldwide for racetrack buildings and enclosures for horses. It would be like renaming places of worship from “church” to something else because a guy named Joe Church did something bad. Not gonna happen.