On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the Formula 1 World Championship announced that it would now travel to the southern U.S. state of Nevada each year for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, starting in November 2023.
For the first ever race, MGM Resorts International plans to build a grandstand over the man-made lake at its prestigious Bellagio hotel-casino on the Strip to provide one of the world’s most exclusive sporting experiences.
MGM Resorts International’s Big Ambitions for the Las Vegas Grand Prix
During August, MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said his group plans to buy $20 million to $25 million worth of tickets for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
With them, he expects to create hotel-plus-race packages of up to $100,000.
With a rate like that, customers have to be offered an experience that lives up to it. That’s precisely why the operator wants to build a grandstand over the artificial lake at its Bellagio hotel-casino that will set new standards for watching sporting events.
In addition, it will also offer a 24-hour celebration worthy of this internationally renowned show. An ambitious program!
A project that faces a lot of discontent
The announcement of the creation of a grandstand above the artificial lake of Bellagio does not seem to have pleased a lot of Internet users. Indeed, a lot of them think that it will prevent thousands of visitors of Las Vegas from enjoying the famous fountain show of the hotel-casino.
Nevertheless, it is to be expected that MGM Resorts International group will make a lot of money thanks to the Grand Prix of Las Vegas.
For example, it plans to triple the room rates at some of its Strip gaming establishments. In addition to the Bellagio, these include the Circus Circus, the Mandalay Bay, the New York-New York and the Park MGM.
Tickets already on sale ranging from $500 to $10,000
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will kick off on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 10:00 pm. Comprising 50 laps in all, it will take place on a 6.12 km circuit winding through the Strip via 14 turns and a straight line of about 1.9 km where vehicles should be able to exceed 320 km/h.
Recently, tickets went on sale at prices ranging from $500 for a 3-day standing room only pass to $10,000 for a Skybox Hospitality seat near the paddock.
For the record, a Grand Prix had already been held in Las Vegas in 1981 and 1982. However, the route at that time was limited to the Caesars Palace parking lot.
