After the pompous opening show of Formula 1 in Las Vegas, world champion Max Verstappen reiterated his indifference to the entertainment program of the premier motorsport class away from the racetracks. The Red Bull driver said he had “zero interest” in the combination “99 percent show, one percent sporting event,” said the Red Bull driver on Wednesday evening (local time). “I always just want to focus on performance. I don’t like all this stuff.”
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the prestige project of Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media, which wants to further grow the racing series in the booming US market. There had already been races in the gambling metropolis in 1981 and 1982. At the time, the events held in the parking lot behind the Caesars Palace Hotel received little attention.
“Whether I like it or not, they’re still making money. “I don’t pretend, I express my opinion on positive and negative things,” said the Dutchman, who was confirmed as a three-time champion before the penultimate Grand Prix of the year. “Some people like the show a little more, I don’t like it at all. I grew up just looking at performance.”
Light show and fireworks: the opening ceremony of the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas: Image: AFP
During the opening party in Las Vegas, stars such as Kylie Minogue and John Legend performed, and a light show with drones illuminated the impressive nighttime backdrop in the drizzle. The assembled team of drivers was introduced to the audience on the start-finish straight. “I like being in Vegas, but not so much for the racing. For me you can just leave all these things out,” said Verstappen after the parade. You stand there and look “like a clown”.
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Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso believes the show factor in the gambling metropolis is understandable. “Places like this and given the investment that has been made, deserve a different treatment and a different show,” said the Spanish Aston Martin driver. He is ready “to deliver an extra for this type of show”, but Alonso considers the pilots’ media appointments to be excessive.
