It all sounds so appealing: exotic Formula One cars sprinting down Las Vegas Boulevard — the city’s famous “Strip” — at nearly 200 mph, in a nighttime spectacle of glitz and glamor. Series organizers would like it to become the American version of the famed Monaco Grand Prix, run in the streets of Monte Carlo every May.
But this nine-figure gamble could also go bust. A confluence of logistical and technical obstacles has created public relations headaches for Formula One’s latest American endeavor over the past several weeks. If they persist through race weekend, which starts late Thursday and concludes with Saturday night’s race, the series might need to hope that “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
Traffic and Local Nightmares
Numerous articles have discussed the local headaches associated with staging a grand prix right on the Las Vegas Strip. Formula One has spent several hundred million dollars buying land near the Strip and constructing a pit/garage area, along with stands for watching the race.
All the work has snarled Las Vegas traffic, diminished views of Strip icons like the Bellagio’s fountains, and created hassles for visitors and locals alike over the past several months. To top it off, the hospitality workers union had openly talked about going out on strike during race weekend.
The city averted one crisis on Friday, when the last hotel chain reached an agreement with the union on a contract, preventing a strike during the grand prix. But all the drama has led to
