Formula 1 has confirmed a weekend attendance of 315,000 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first F1 race to take place in Las Vegas in over 40 years.
Formula 1’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix – which saw the sport return to Las Vegas for the first time in over 40 years – was attended by 315,000 fans over the four days of the event weekend.
30,000 tickets were available for the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday ahead of the race, though large numbers of empty seats were seen in the main grandstand. Total fan capacity at Las Vegas Strip Circuit is just over 100,000 – which does not include private viewing areas located within hotels around the city circuit.
2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix is the 7th Best-Attended Race of the Year
The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix’s attendance is an impressive figure for an inaugural event. When the Miami Grand Prix joined the calendar in 2022, its first race attracted a weekend crowd of just over 240,000. The Miami figure grew in 2023, to 270,000.
The Las Vegas race is the second-best attended race in the United States this year, behind the United States Grand Prix. The race at Circuit of The Americas had a weekend attendance of 432,000, 8,000 down on the previous season.
Overall, the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix is the seventh best attended Formula 1 race of the 2023 season and is the 11th race of the year which has seen a total attendance in excess of 300,000.
The British Grand Prix, with a weekend attendance of 480,000, is the best-attended race of the season, with races in Australia, Mexico, Belgium and Canada all seeing larger audiences than the new race in Las Vegas.
Total confirmed attendance at Formula 1 races in 2023 has now reached 5.6 million, with figures for the Azerbaijan and Monaco Grands Prix yet to be announced. In 2022, total attendance was 5.7 million.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix – which ranks as the most expensive race to attend in the 2023 season – is currently scheduled to remain on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2025, though Formula 1 has secured an agreement to race on The Strip until at least 2032.
Thursday Running Derailed
After all the hype surrounding the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the opening day of on-track action was somewhat of an embarrassment for Formula 1. After just eight minutes of running in Free Practice 1, the session was cancelled when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari hit a water valve cover. There was then a lengthy delay while the track was inspected to ensure there would be no repeat of the issue.
The ongoing inspections and work – during which the remaining valve covers around the circuit were removed and filled with sand and asphalt – meant that Free Practice 2 did not begin until 2:30am, over two hours later than originally scheduled.
In the interim, at 1:30am, race organisers closed fan zones and grandstands around the circuit in a move which irked racegoers who had waited at the venue for practice action to resume. Race officials cited public safety concerns, staffing issues and transportation problems among the reasons for closing the track to the public.
A statement from the Las Vegas Grand Prix released after the conclusion of Free Practice 2 read:
“Following last night’s incident involving a water valve cover, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, F1 and the FIA decided to take extra precautions to ensure the integrity of the track prior to the resumption of racing. These additional measures required multiple hours to fully complete, which led to a significant delay in the race schedule. Given the lateness of the hour and logistical concerns regarding the safe movement of fans and employees out of the circuit, LVGP made the difficult decision to close the fan zones prior to the beginning of Free Practice 2.”
Thankfully, the rest of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend ran without incident, though that will be of little consolation to fans who attended only the Thursday action. While those with 3-day and 4-day passes will not be compensated for the lack of action they were able to witness on Thursday, fans who held Thursday-only tickets are entitled to a $200 voucher, in place of a refund, to be redeemed on merchandise in the Las Vegas Grand Prix Official Shop.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, it emerged that a Nevada law firm had begun legal action against the Las Vegas Grand Prix in pursuit of refunds for Thursday’s spectators.
All Eyes on Abu Dhabi
Just one race remains in the 2023 Formula 1 season, with the season set to come to an end at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend. The 24-race calendar for 2024 has already been revealed, beginning with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled to host the 22nd round next season on November 23 – one week later than the 2023 date – though local media speculated that the race date could move to an earlier slot in 2024, with the Vegas race potentially swapping dates with the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, currently scheduled for October 20.
