Thanks to our friends at eBay Motors, I’m in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and I have to admit: I’m a little overwhelmed. I haven’t watched Formula 1 since I was a kid growing up in Germany, watching Hometown Hero Michael Schumacher (pronounced “Michhh-ah-ail Shoe-machhh-er”) absolutely dominate. I was always a fan of his brother Ralf, mostly because I worried he was in the shadows of his brother (I’m one of five boys, you see). Anyway, now I’m here in Las Vegas, and my god, first impressions are: This town has gone all-in on F1.
Even the airport is F1-topia.
Check out this humongous LEGO!:
And this… metal sculpture, of sorts:
Lots of brands are trying to get in on the fun:
And how about this huge helmet on the baggage carousel?:
I haven’t seen much beyond the airport. I’m heading now to a Paddock Tour now, which should be exciting. Again, I have no idea what to expect, but I’m excited and a bit anxious.
If you have any F1 wisdom to share, hit me in the comments; more from Las Vegas coming soon!
P.S. That’s McLaren champ Oscar Piastri on the stage behind me in the top photo. Here’s another shot:
I’m in Vegas too!
I’ll try to follow the trail of rust flakes.
I’m all in for these fish (DT) out of water posts! Bring it on!!
Should be a crazy good time. I got into F1 in 2020 but my 5-year-old started watching with me last year, and now watching the races Sunday mornings together is appointment viewing. Unlike his old man, he likes winners and has gone full into McLaren (I have a penchant for the hopeless so adopted Haas as my team).
Follow Martin Brundle around and you’ll learn everything you need to know about the “F1 Vibe”.
eta: He would make for an awesome interview himself for you to write about 🙂
Esp. when he gets into trouble trying to interact with the various celebrity hangers-on. I remember last year when he tried to get in to talk to Roger Federer I think it was, and was stopped by security…but found himself next to Jackie Stewart trying to do the same thing.
It’ll be so cool to see the cars up close and personal like that. For me at least, I don’t think about race cars this way, esp. graceful open-wheel ones that don’t mimic anything we normally see, but they’re absolutely gigantic in scale compared to what you’d expect.
I got into F1 about when I took the OG insanity test…
https://youtu.be/yFHqh7Rv2TI?si=ydMiLxHbT56RFR3s
I believe the key to access at a race is to declare yourself a Marusha superfan.
I just started watching F1 about halfway through this season. My 6mo daughter loves it. Car Go Fast TV is our thing now on Sundays. My son convinced me to be a Kick Sauber/Bottas fan, which has been rough. I also really like Tsunoda and Piastri. Max seems to be a unstoppable force.
I hope you have a great time. The only races I’ve been to are NHRA nitro events, although I’d love to go to a gran prix.
What size shirt does your son wear? (You have to answer, because otherwise I’m gonna guess)
Your mission this weekend is to steal Max Verstappen’s hat. I won’t tell you what to do with it. That part if the story is up to you. Your job is simply to steal the hat.
Godspeed, and don’t pay any attention if you see sharks in the Bellagio fountain. Snitches don’t get stitches, they become bait.
Thank you for giving me the purest, silliest laugh I’ve had in a while.
Expect cars without fenders, loud noises, and expensive concessions.
Were they all taller than you? Did they have a bad habit of standing between you and sunlight?
Isn’t this considered heresy for a BAJA SAE alum?
It is. I have been to a Rally race, though. SnoDr*ft!