By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
The earnest social media worker for the Las Vegas Grand Prix asked a simple question about the Formula One car race that has taken over the Strip and local streets at Las Vegas Boulevard while offering the most expensive ticket on the F1 tour.
“Where are you watching the race from?”
For good measure, the post on X included an image of the Sphere, which is the latest entertainment attraction in Las Vegas.
Well, the responses were not pretty.
That’s because the Las Vegas Grand Prix’s ticket prices are stunningly high — even by Las Vegas standards.
The average F1 ticket price in Las Vegas is $1,667, according to the F1Destinations.com website. The second most expensive F1 race is in the Miami area where the average ticket cost is $1,113.
With ticket costs in mind, the responders grilled the race for its unaffordable prices.
The race, which has a ten-year deal with Clark County and is receiving $19.5 million in support from the LVCVA tourism agency, has irritated locals for creating traffic congestion and closed roads because of the road repaving and grandstand construction.
The race promoter also wants $40 million from Clark County for the paving work. That number is supposedly under negotiations with the county.
More responses to where are you watching the F1 race from:
The grand prix tried to pull a fast one on Nevada residents when the F1 promoter hyped a $200 ticket plus fees and taxes for Nevada people that could have been bought it last Friday.
But the $200 ticket was for a race practice on the Thursday, Nov. 16, before the Nov. 18 race, which starts at 10PM on that Saturday. The same ticket was $500 for Friday Nov. 17 and $1,300 for the race day. The 50-lap race follows a 3.8-mile course, with a chunk of the race going south on the Strip with also race segments on Harmon, Koval and Sands.
The race also announced Monday that it has a new deal with UNLV “to provide innovative professional and educational opportunities for students.”
And toward the end of the press release, this kicker was dropped in by the grand prix race: “As part of this partnership, UNLV is permitting LVGP to utilize 37 acres on Tropicana Avenue for event-related operations, as well as parking on race days.”