Las Vegas vote clears Formula 1 path until 2032

Formula 1 can remain in Las Vegas until 2032 following a unanimous vote of the Clark County Commission which hopes the event remains “forever”.

At a meeting on Tuesday night, county officials unanimously voted to recognise the event as “an annual event beneficial to Clark County,” clearing the way for F1 to race down The Strip for the coming decade.

Also voted through was the waiving of time limitations pursuant to special events on the streets of Las Vegas “for a special event, for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix each Wednesday through Sunday, the week prior to Thanksgiving in November the years 2023 through 2032.”

It was announced last March that the City of Sin would host Formula 1 from this year, with the November date subsequently revealed in August.

The circuit itself uses a mixture of private and public roads with the pit and paddock complex on a site owned by Las Vegas Grand Prix – the company set up to run the event.

Construction on the pit building has already commenced with plans for the rooftop to feature an LED screen in the shape of the F1 logo.

“This is all part of what we’re doing over on the property at Koval [Lane] and Harman [Avenue], and we’re on schedule to deliver it for the event in November,” said Terry Miller, project manager for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“You don’t get a sense of the magnitude of this building until you’re out on the site.

“It’s 1000 feet long, so it’s larger than three football fields. It’s 100 feet wide, which is twice a football field. So it’s pretty, pretty significant in terms of the size and configuration of this building on that site.”

Circuit modifications

The circuit itself has undergone some modifications, with the sweeping right-hander originally slated to encircle the MSG Sphere modified to include a chicane and a tighter apex turn feeding out onto Sands Avenue.

“The track itself is on both private and public land,” Miller said in his presentation to the Commission.

“Everything that we are building in a temporary spectator facility or in a permanent track facility is on private parcels.

“The track itself will be on county right of way and on private parcels.

“But we’re excited about the fact that it wraps itself around some of the most worldwide recognised resorts here in our valley.”

Unanimous approval

The resolution submitted to the council for use of public roads pertained to Koval Lane, Sands Avenue, Las Vegas Boulevard, and Harmon Avenue, and was granted unanimously.

“I think it’s important to note that we have a three-year contract with Formula 1, but we anticipate a lifetime together in partnership, and this will open the pathway to be able to do it for at least 10 years,” noted the Commission chair, James B. Gibson.

“And then beyond that, I’m sure that those who succeed us will see the value in what we’ve done and continue doing it forever.”

Organisers of the event claim the first year of the race will have an economic impact of $1282 million with $966 million of that coming through F1 visitor spending.

Formula 1 is scheduled to race in Las Vegas from November 16-18, with the race itself to take place on Saturday night.