A permanent Formula One experience is expected to open near the Las Vegas Strip as a new tourist attraction sometime in early 2023– just in time for Vegas’ Grand Prix.
Plans are still being finalized for the experience. But soon, racing and adrenaline fans alike will be able to strap in and go full-throttle in Formula One cars as they speed near one of Vegas’ most famous landmarks.
The F1 experience will operate for 11 months each year on the site of the now-bulldozed Ice nightclub at Koval Lane and Harmon Avenue. Those 39 acres were recently purchased by Formula One’s parent company for $240 million.
It will be located on what will also serve as the pit and starting line for the first Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix in 40 years.
Vegas Grand Prix Returns
On Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, Las Vegas will host the region’s first Formula One Grand Prix since 1981.
November’s race will be the first time the course includes the entire Vegas strip. In 1981 and 1982, the race was held entirely in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
I think it’s going to be fabulous for the city,” Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), recently told frontofficesports.com. “There just aren’t many opportunities that are this big. I think it’s similar to having a Super Bowl in town every year.”
Spectators can watch as Formula One cars speed along a 14-turn, 3.8-mile temporary loop through Caesars Palace, the MSG Sphere, and the Bellagio, the reported site of its finish line.
Spectators can watch the event live in Vegas, or opt to livestream the excitement.
Formula One Vs. NASCAR
Both NASCAR and Formula One are racing competitions, but differ widely in car and course style.
F1 cars tend to be lighter and shorter, making them faster and more powerful than NASCAR. Formula one cars also tend to race faster, reaching speeds up to 223 mph, while NASCAR cars usually reach top speeds of 200 mph.
They also have an open-wheel style, which means the cars are sans fenders and windshields to protect the drivers. NASCAR races also happen on oval racetracks, while F1 races occur on open streets.
Big Money
In May 2022, the LVCVA approved spending $19.5 million in taxpayer dollars (from hotel room taxes) to sponsor F1’s first three Las Vegas races, according to Casino.org’s own Vital Vegas.
Much of that money is expected to go toward resurfacing streets, which will be milled down 10 inches and then coated in a high-density asphalt.
The race will mark only the third time that the Las Vegas Strip will regularly close each year for an event (the others being the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and New Year’s Eve).
Residents have already been informed that streets along the race course, including sections of the Strip, will close from 7:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of race weekend.
Formula One races will continue in Miami and Austin, with Las Vegas expected to become the brand’s flagship.
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