From Las Vegas Sun

Las Vegas Grand Prix responds to 2023 concerns with tweaks, upgrades

Nick Didlick / AP, file

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, drives past the Sphere during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, on Nov. 18, 2023, in Las Vegas.

By Grace Da Rocha (contact)

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 | 2 a.m.

Race officials say the Las Vegas Grand Prix, ready for its second run, has evolved as an event.

They observed the hiccups last year, from setting up and breaking down the Formula 1 track in the Resort Corridor, promising to address concerns of businesses and locals who were inconvenienced. They are also determined to make the three-day event more accessible for locals to attend.

The second iteration of the event is Thursday-Saturday on a 3.8-mile, 17-turn track that runs on Las Vegas Boulevard, Koval Lane and Harmon and Sands avenues.

“Certainly, in our inaugural year, we listened, we learned and we have evolved the event,” said Lori Nelson-Kraft, the senior vice president of corporate affairs at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The race brought 300,000 people and nearly $1.5 billion in revenue to the region, tourism leaders estimated.

It is believed to have generated more state and local tax revenue than any other event in Las Vegas history with $77 million in state and local taxes. Clark County received $4,387,597, or about 6% of it.

Yet, the race wasn’t well received by some businesses, including on Koval Lane, because the course prevented traffic from stopping at their shops. And it wasn’t just on race week, as it took months for the course to be set up and dismantled.

Business owners say millions in revenue was lost, bringing both lawsuits and plenty of hard feelings.

The extended construction in the initial year included the repaving of roads for the course, an endeavor paid for by the race that brought traffic delays and upset locals who were distressed with commuting delays. Roads didn’t need to be repaved for the race course this year.

A sign of the improvements from Year 1 to Year 2, according to race organizers: Track construction began Sept. 2 and was minimized by 65% compared with the 2023 setup, which took nearly 10 months due to road repaving, light structure installations and construction of fan zones.

Additionally, race officials provided regular updates regarding when workers would be building the course to give employees at Strip properties notice to plan their commute.

“It was a spectacular fan experience in our inaugural year, but through listening to suggestions from the properties surrounding the circuit (and) receiving comments from the local community, (their input led to) some adjustments to the circuit installation and the dismantling plans this year,” Nelson-Kraft said.

Clark County manager’s office compiled a 113-page report recapping the event, finding that “there were issues with Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) meeting deadlines and providing the required information to Clark County and its regional partners.”

There were also issues identified within agency partners, including as the Department of Aviation — which saw operation issues due to a lack of advance information regarding general traffic — and the Southern Nevada Health District, which pointed out insufficient handwashing sinks at the Pit Building and issues with the temperature control of food or preparation in unapproved areas.

County staff also criticized slow communication or a lack of communication between the Las Vegas Grand Prix and public agencies, as well as last-minute changes that “caused an increase in overtime for staff, and caused a delay in communicating information to the public.”

“As with any event, there were instances where operations either did not work or were identified as needing improvement. This was true for the 2023 LVGP,” the county wrote in its briefing. “Preparation for the LVGP was rigorous and required a lot of effort. The 2023 LVGP simply would not have been possible without the dedicated commitment and hard work displayed by Clark County employees and regional partners.”

Nelson-Kraft said many of those issues had been resolved or addressed, and race officials “couldn’t be more appreciative of the partnership (and) the collaboration with all of the public and private agencies” involved.

The county, which also took criticism from residents, “leveraged lessons learned from the inaugural year to inform planning decisions this year,” county manager Kevin Schiller said in a statement to the Sun.

The county used a text messaging service in English and Spanish to update people on road closures due to track construction.

County officials also worked with the race to ensure that any submissions requiring county approval or permitting were submitted “well in advance” to reduce last-minute reviews and improve communications to the public, Schiller said.

Race officials were “a more active partner in problem-solving and community engagement this year, which has had a positive impact,” he said.

That will extend to after the race, Nelson-Kraft stresses.

The schedule of the course takedown is expected to only take five weeks, according to a tracker on the race’s website. Nelson-Kraft said the process would be done by late December, beating the months of deconstruction that extended into 2024 after last year’s race.

Parts of the streets will close beginning at 3 p.m. each event day and reopen by 4 a.m.

Barriers and safety enclosures around the track have also been upgraded to prevent items from falling onto the track, officials said. And where pedestrian bridges were once plastered with film, now they are encased by thick aluminum walls and a chain-link fence over the top.

The enhancements will extend to how Metro Police patrols race events, Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said earlier this month.

Hundreds of security officials from Metro and private agencies will be on the Strip during the festivities, with restrictions on glass bottles, strollers and backpacks enforced.

Newer security measures were made in response to lessons learned during the 2023 race as well as large-scale events held since then, such as the Super Bowl and New Year’s Eve celebration, Walsh said.

“Since the event ended last year, there’s been at least 10 meetings a month, it seems like, where we get together with everybody,” Walsh said. “I don’t think it ever ends, the planning, because what we learned from other events as well can be implemented in this.”

Metro will deploy its drones in the area as part of its security efforts, but fans aren’t allowed to use drones, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration has established a no-drone zone over and near the raceway and violators could incur a $30,000 fine and potential criminal prosecution.

Fan experience

One of the most exciting aspects of this year’s race is the community involvement, Nelson-Kraft said. It was a priority for the Las Vegas Grand Prix to get more locals and visitors “to experience the thrill of F1,” which is why the team created a new fan experience.

The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Fan Experience will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday on Las Vegas Boulevard across from the Wynn Las Vegas. It’s a free, daytime fan event where attendees will get to watch performances from local artists, try eats from local food vendors, purchase exclusive merchandise, and participate in various fan activations and team appearances.

The fan experience was one way for Las Vegas Grand Prix to get more Nevadans into the race this year after complaints arose in 2023 of locals being priced out. The Las Vegas Grand Prix team also created two new general admission zones — the Flamingo Zone by Caesars Rewards and three-day Caesars Palace Experience — and carved out more single-day general admission tickets for the South Koval Zone.

Local businesses were on the Las Vegas Grand Prix’s radar this year too. Taking a page out of the Super Bowl Host Committee’s playbook from February, the Las Vegas Grand Prix created a Local Business Network Directory in partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority that was sent to incoming racing teams, businesses and partners that are descending on Las Vegas for the race.

Over 100 businesses — from eateries to construction crews — are featured in this booklet, which Nelson-Kraft said had been “one important step” in shining a spotlight on local offerings. There will also be 50 local vendors participating in the fan experience event.

And while Nelson-Kraft didn’t have a breakdown of how many ticket holders were Nevada residents, she said “the buzz is building,” and F1 officials are excited to have more local organizations involved in this year’s race.

“We’re really excited that we’ve been able to include the local community in so much of our event,” Nelson-Kraft said. “There’s just been so many unique opportunities, and all the events that we’re going to be hosting throughout next week to be inclusive. … We welcome (fans) to join us at our free fan experience to learn a little more about what F1 is all about and learn about the motor sport, and welcome them with open arms.”

grace.darocha@gmgvegas.com / 702-948-7854 / @gracedarocha