Formula 1 2023 Season

In reply to Advan046 :

One thing going for/against Vegas is where the track is.  It's far more like Monaco where it is very, very disruptive to local traffic vs Miami where the track is out by the BB stadium.  If Miami was run where it was originally suggested- which was right downtown, it would be harder.  But even then, downtown Miami isn't The Strip in Vegas.  The Strip is both a tourist destination as well as paths to get anywhere.  And the video I saw, the blocks on either side are also very impacted- which is normally the alternate paths to get anywhere.

If Vegas wants this to be sustainable, they need to really study how Monaco does it.  If they can do that- particularly reduce the weeks of impact on the locals and tourists, it would be really popular, locally,  I think.  

In reply to alfadriver :

We will do a terrible job of managing traffic for at least the first two years...............as a 45 year resident I can tell you we typically book the events first then figure out how to run them later........it's just what we do.

A race in Vegas HAS to go down the Strip, or it could be anywhere. Miami tried to fake it with that "pool". Obviously the organizers understand that, which is why it's at night - gotta flash that neon. I think it's going to be amazing to see, like a video game. I don't know if I'll necessarily be tuning in for year 3 if the race turns out to be as much of a snoozefest as Monaco is and I will never buy tickets for it, but I'm glad it's happening at least once. 

Brundle's pit walk will be pointless, just clueless celebs who know they should be there but not why. Like Miami. His pit walks are bad normally, the influencer-driven races are painful. That's okay, I just don't watch them. I tune in at the start of the formation lap.

Other than the traffic, here's an interesting thing: it's in the middle of the night. In November. The average low is 46F (8C). It'll probably be the coldest race of the year.

Oh, and it's on a street circuit with long straights, low downforce and fresh asphalt. Getting tires up to temp is going to be fun, especially if there's a safety car.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I think they should just have a influencer talk to the stars and then have Martin focus on the cars and drivers.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

It will be windy as well..............trust me.

In reply to alfadriver :

I get that. Detroit is no longer the 24/7 work cycle anymore. But through the 90s to about 2007 enough people worked 3rd shifts that other businesses stayed open 24 hours most days. So there was a 1am rush hour. Not as bad as the 6 am rush hour but noticeable. So I kind of understand the Las Vegas 24 hour work traffic still being an addressable issue for 10pm race that ends around midnight. 

Still wonder if the pain is really as bad as some claim. I remember one news reporter asked a Detroit Belle Isle GP protestor why 2 weeks out of 52 was worth protesting about? And they didn't have a response for a good beat then she said the same line of rich people getting to use the park that should always be open and free to the public. Idk hope it goes well down the strip. Looks like a fun long straight!

In reply to Advan046 :

Depending on your route it's adding 20-45 minutes to the commute.

In reply to Tom1200 :

I know I got conditioned by Metro DC area traffic to feel like 45 added minutes on my trip home was a Thursday......or maybe a Wednesday....or really any random day. 30 minute commute home Monday then next day 1.5 hour trip home. 

Just remember to go to the bathroom before leaving!

In reply to Advan046 :

From what I'm seeing, the delay has been more than two weeks.  We will see if this calms down over time or not.  For the locals sake, I sure hope so- as it would be torture if they had to endure this pain every year and they have no real say in if this goes on.  I found out today that F1 is footing the entire bill, as they are the promoter.  So they have only themselves to blame if this does not go well.

I'm hoping this race is a MASSIVE flop so they hesitate doing it again or adding anymore street track nonsense.

They've made a huge investment in the Paddock building, so I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

If they loose many millions of dollars, I bet it will.  This is supposed to make a ton of money for their $500M investment.

What will the Vegas strip look like a month or 2 after the race , 

How much of this stuff will be town down and stored till next years race ?
And what pluses for the people who live and work in Vegas ?  

Seems like it is all for the F1 hype and little for the locals ......

In reply to californiamilleghia :

Interestingly I read somewhere that this weekend is usually the slowest tourist period for Las Vegas. The weekend before Thanksgiving. But do locals want more work the weekend before Thanksgiving or less? 

Maybe the city planners need to think about better roads AROUND the Strip so people can avoid the black hole. I do recall that being one thing I was annoyed at, as I was driving around there for work and kept having to cross the damn strip to get somewhere. Even without an F1 race it seemed rather sucky. 

I did like the perimeter freeway beltway that was partially finished for a couple of runs. Maybe 50% more mileage but added only a couple minutes and avoided the city center. 

It would be one thing of a river or lake created a bottle neck but nah just city planning. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Buildings are easily reno'd into another use :)

In reply to Advan046 :

If this goes over well for the city, I really hope that your thoughts happen.  But that means that people get some serious benefit for all of the high rollers that show up in town.

For the sake of the people who live there, I hope it goes well.  But I'm certainly not going to watch any of it, live.  Race wise, I'm seeing the teams prepare for pretty low downforce for the straights, BUT they are all super worried about low tire temps, especially for the C4 tire.  I'm almost thinking the horrible damp race in Turkey a few year ago when they could barely drive.  So the balance will end up being enough downforce to get and maintain temps vs. top speed.

I predict that the first safety car will be immediately followed by a second safety car as someone goes straight off on near-frozen tires.

It might shake up the field, though. The ability to heat tires - not make them last - will be a big deal after pit stops and safety car periods. 

If I'm reading the race website correctly, you can't even get to the resorts/hotels/casinos/restaurants inside the track without some proof of a room/restaurant reservation/ticket. I'm not sure if that's just during the "hot track" periods (5 pm to 4 am) or during the whole weekend. That's gotta sting for the various businesses inside the track, which includes half of the strip from the Venetian to Planet Hollywood. I'm also not sure what that means about the monorail - I suspect a lot of people will get off the monorail, get rebuffed by the ticket checkers and then have to stand and wait for the next train.

I still haven't read what the paddock building will be used for the remaining 48 weeks of the year. I am curious.

As far as the racing. The straights may hopefully allow for some passing. Maybe they will adjust the drs after Friday to not make it too easy. 

Curious cool weather racing too. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

So maybe HAAS podium? 

Albon win!

In reply to Advan046 :

About the paddock building - everything I've read has been things like "wouldn't it be cool if we could set up a simulation? How about an exclusive F1 themed club?" etc. In other words, nobody has a strong idea.

I've said multiple times I should be stoked for this weekend but there are so many  things about this that don't work for me.

Getting in and out is very likely going to be a pain.

Street tracks are  just OK.

The price gouging; Vegas over played the hype.

The weather (I hate the cold)

The local news doing utterly douchey coverage of the sport.....can't even be bothered to learn a little about the sport......they don't do this with our Hockey team or our football team.

Now as for the building if this flops...........we've demolished 500 million structures before and then left the land sitting idle for years.

It all seems a bridge to far.

I think this race has a chance to be a real opportunity for a team we don't usually see at the front, due to the temps, tire wear, engine performance, the unpredictability of a street race and who knows what else.

I'll be watching from the comfort of home of course............ 

In spite of all that, how can you miss the chance to see an F1 race in your home city? 

The first f1 race I ever saw was a Detroit GP. Parents couldn't afford tickets. Only saw it really because my Uncle managed a building downtown and so I got to watch some of it from the mechanical penthouse of that building. I mostly just remember the noise echoing off the buildings and being hot and dehydrated. I could see the cars go through a couple corners. It was either 86 or 87. 

Maybe it sparked some idea of racing in my mind. Idk. 

Worth it if you have never been. Just to watch the braking zones and hear the noises. 

The Race is reporting that GM has registered as an engine manufacturer in 2028.  Pretty huge news for Andretti, and taking the bid seriously.