Max Verstappen critical of Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix - '99% show and 1% sporting event'

Max Verstappen has criticised the Las Vegas Grand Prix for being “99% show and 1% sporting event” ahead of Formula 1's penultimate event of 2023.

Drivers were unveiled in front of 30,000 fans on Wednesday in Vegas on platforms elevated from the ground, while the opening ceremony also featured performances from the likes of Kylie Minogue and John Legend.

Some in the paddock enjoyed the experience and understood the added extravagance but Verstappen, the newly crowned three-time world champion, could not be ranked among them.

“For me, you can skip this,” the Dutchman said. “It’s not about the singers. We are just standing up there, looking like a clown.”

He added: “I guess they still make money if I like it or not, so it’s not up to me. But I’m also not going to fake it, I just always voice my opinion on positive things and negative things. That’s just how I am.

“Some people like the show a bit more, I don’t like it at all. I grew up just looking at the performance side of things and that’s how I see it as well.

"So for me, I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing.”

Verstappen also skipped the party hosted by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at the Wynn Casino because he had “zero interest” in attending and was scathing in his assessment of the new 3.8-mile track that will see drivers blast down Las Vegas Boulevard.

“I don’t think it’s that exciting,” he said, when asked about the layout. “For me a street circuit is not that exciting, especially with these new cars, they are just too heavy.

“When you have low grip that doesn’t help. The scenery will look great, driving through the Strip, but the layout itself is not the most exciting.”

The race gets underway at 10pm local time on Saturday night, meaning drivers face the challenge of adjusting to a 12-hour time difference at the season finale in Abu Dhabi next week, something Verstappen said didn’t “really make a lot of sense.”

There was, however, more optimism about the event from some of the world champion’s peers.

Lewis Hamilton insisted Domenicali and F1 owners Liberty Media were doing an “amazing job” and added that it was vital the sport tapped into the American market more.

“The sport continues to grow,” Hamilton said. “It is a business and you will still see good racing here. It is a country to tap into and really captivate the audience.

“We needed to have at least two races in the US, one wasn’t enough, and this is one of the most iconic and unique cities that they have here.

“It is a big show for sure, and it is never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, the people in this community will grow to love the sport.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added: "There is the team principle in me that dreads the race because it’s totally different to what our car likes - long straights we are too slow because we are too draggy. It’s too cold in the night when we race and our car likes heat. We’re just not able to have the right tyre grip when we race.

"So the team principle, the narrow minded racing person says ‘that’s going to be really difficult’. But as the CEO of the team, fantastic.

"We are already in Miami, Austin has been super strong and loyal since the beginning but coming here, seeing the track, the event itself that has been put up is very exciting.

“In a way our sport is very honest. The stopwatch never lies and entertainment follows. If you provide great racing per the regulations it’s also going to be entertaining. Being able to do this in the middle of Las Vegas on the strip was unthinkable many years ago. I Hopefully we become a fixture among the many events that happen in Las Vegas and we provide great racing.”

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