Liberty/F1 should be on their knees thanking someone upstairs that the race itself was so darn good. They'd have an even bigger headache to deal with if the race was a dud. That being said, they have so much work and damage control to do before the next LVGP. Seems like F1 Nation loves this race already, but the people who live and work in town hate it. I've been following along and much of 2023 was a nightmare if you had to try and travel anywhere around the strip. I don't claim to know the town, I've never even been there. But public servants could see their careers end because of this race. It is very unpopular on the ground.
I thought the race itself was fantastic. The winner was running 3rd late in the race and actually passed the top 2 on the track. That rarely happens in F1. Usually it's dueling engineers and strategies that decide the finish. Obviously these cars are absurdly fast but they just looked scary fast on this track.This race would be a must see even if the track was built in the Everglades. Oh yeah, add 10 or 15 laps.
I think the late start times so Europe could watch was pure spin. My theory based on nothing but my own cynical nature is the casinos told F1 they were not having their cute little race during prime gambling time. It's Las Vegas. You work around the desires of the casinos. And the casinos want no distractions on Friday and Saturday evening.
The contract is for 10 years. It's not one and done but there won't be nine more of these.
