F1 Las Vegas: A Super Bowl-style Grand Prix
© F1 - Las Vegas GP
The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix promised to be more than just another Grand Prix on the calendar with an announcement that quadrupled the impact of the Super Bowl in 2022. Now it's time to make it all come to life.
The city where nothing is impossible, where artists of the magnitude of Katy Perry and Adele have their musical residencies, home of the NBA Raiders and the Golden Nights hockey team, will this year be host to the two most important events on the American sporting scene. The first, the Superbowl, which is deeply rooted in American culture, is the sporting event of the year, when the NFL final becomes a spectacle. And for the first time, it will be held in the most spectacular city.
The second is Formula One, which continues to pursue the American dream with three dates on the 2023 calendar: Miami, Austin and a return to Las Vegas after 40 years.
The pinnacle of motorsport will literally open up in the city, with a six-kilometre, 17-turn night circuit where the single-seaters will race at 300 km/h through iconic locations such as The Strip, The Sphere, The Venetian Resort, The Mirage, Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, Planet Hollywood, MGM Grand and Virgin Hotels. A weekend that has cost Formula One and Liberty Media $400 million, but which has raised expectations of what this event can bring in both sporting and economic terms.
The "rookie" F1 event has already overtaken the historic Superbowl in terms of numbers a week before the GP, with a projected impact of $1.3 billion, more than double the $600 million forecast for the American football event.
100,000 fans, the vast majority of them Americans who sold out in record time, are expected in the city on each of the three days that make up the Grand Prix weekend, spending an estimated $966 million, while a further $316 million is expected to be spent on event operations and costs. The Grand Prix is also a great opportunity to increase the visibility and positioning of many brands, which have seized the opportunity to enter into partnership and sponsorship deals.
Heineken has taken pole position as title sponsor of the Las Vegas GP, associating its brand name with the event. The Dutch brewer will be able to spread its name and that of its Heineken Silver brand throughout the event, with numerous points of reference: the main grandstands, with catering by Wolfgang Puck, its hospitality centre, the Heineken House, and above all the performances on the Heineken Stage, managed by the Virgin Hotel, continuing its positioning in the music scene after its sponsorship of the Coachella Festival, and now merging it with the world of sport.
In terms of hospitality, one of the most widely used models in F1 to enhance the user experience and for partners and sponsors, exclusive packages of up to $1 million are being considered, such as the one offered by Wynn Resorts, official sponsor along with other iconic establishments in the city such as Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International.
US mobile operator T-Mobile has announced a multi-year agreement through 2025 to provide 5G coverage throughout the event and broadcast the event with 5G cameras. The brand will dedicate two user spaces, the T-Mobile Zone and the T-Mobile Stage, in MSG's curved "Turn 5G" sphere, with performances by J. Balvin, Mark Ronson and Major Lazer.
MoneyGram, title sponsor of the Haas team from October 2022, shortly after plans for F1 in Las Vegas were announced in March, is looking for an opportunity for both Haas, the only US owned F1 team, and its sponsor to raise their profile in the US.
Las Vegas is a risky, but well-researched gamble. Formula One is enjoying one of its glorious moments, perfect for conquering the American continent, a long-held ambition. And what better way to do it than in the most "American" city, with a strategy that combines a traditionally European motorsport with American tastes and culture.
Although the race will follow a conventional format, the weekend will begin on Wednesday in pure Vegas style, with an opening ceremony reminiscent of the Super Bowl halftime show, expected to attract nearly 30,000 spectators and with artists already confirmed including John Legend, J Balvin, Will.I.am, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Cirque du Soleil.
Formula One heads into a weekend of uncertainty, but it also seems to be the starting point that could transcend the boundaries of the track and reshape the sport.
The Heineken House Hospitality at Las Vegas / © F1
