Vegas is Getting Ready for the Races!

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is coming to Las Vegas November 16-18, 2023. This is going to be a HUGE event – like the Super Bowl and March Madness and a Mayweather fight night and Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one! Over 100,000 people are expected to attend the races, and every resort on the Las Vegas Strip is already preparing for what will be one of the biggest weekends in Las Vegas history.

First things first: What is F1 racing? “F1” refers to the style of car used – open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars. Formula One is the highest class of international racing for this style of car. A Formula One racing season consists of a series of races, known as Grand Prix, held all over the world on purpose-built and closed public roads. The 2023 season will have 24 global Grand Prix.

There are now three F1 Grand Prix in the US – Austin, Miami, and now Las Vegas. This is the first time Las Vegas is hosting the F1 Grand Prix, but it likely won’t be the last – Las Vegas is now home to the North American headquarters for Formula One.

The 3.8-mile street circuit for the Vegas race will travel down Las Vegas Boulevard past iconic properties like the Venetian, Caesars Palace, and the Bellagio, before turning onto Harmon Ave and then onto Koval Ln, going around the MSG Sphere, down Sands Ave, and back onto the Strip, for a total of 17 turns at top speeds of 212 mph. The race will consist of 50 laps and, breaking with F1 tradition, will be held at night, under the neon lights of the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is a three-day event: Thursday are the practice runs, Friday is the qualifying race, and Saturday is the main event. The Grand Prix will start at 10:00 pm PT on Saturday, November 18.

Race weekend will be FULL of events, activations, and activities. General admission and grandstand tickets are sold only as three-day passes and include food and non-alcoholic drinks; premium tickets are all-inclusive multi-day passes. Tickets are sold by zone. There are also luxury clubs, skyboxes, suites, and shared hospitality areas available…but they cost a pretty penny. General admission tickets start at $500 each, while grandstand seating starts at $2,000 per ticket (all plus taxes and fees). A single seat in a skybox will set you back $10,000, and prices only go up from there.

Vegas hotels are booking packages NOW and they WILL sell out. Current hotel room rates are up over 300% year-over-year for race weekend dates; right now, the cheapest rates available are running around $700 per night, and most hotels are requiring a four-night minimum stay for any race weekend dates. Not all hotels have released their inventory for race weekend yet but when they do, expect the rooms to go as fast as the Formula 1 cars. Like the Cosmopolitan, which has the best views of the track along Las Vegas Blvd and Harmon Ave as well as rooms with balconies so you can actually watch the race without having your view blocked by windows – Vegas insiders expect their upper-floor balcony suites will have the highest demand.

Demand for rooms is expected to be at an all-time high; Vegas might have 150,000 hotel rooms, but not all of them are on the Strip, and even fewer are Strip-facing. With 100,000 people expected to attend the event (and even more coming into town to soak in the excitement), don’t be surprised if the only rooms available just a few months from now are located 20+ miles away from the Strip.

It may still be a year out from the event, but planning is already well underway and hotel rooms and event spaces are already booking out. If you want to get in on the action, contact us today to discuss what we can do to put the “fabulous” in your F1 experience!