F1 has done everything possible to make this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix as extravagant as possible.
Lewis Hamilton has insisted the Las Vegas Grand Prix will “never” compete with Silverstone, despite hoping locals “love” F1.
Serious complaints are being made ahead of this weekend’s first race in Las Vegas since 1982. Residents are outraged that their lives have been so disrupted for nine months.
Most of the complaints were directed at F1, the sport itself promoting the event, something that had never been done before.
Construction began nine months ago to make this weekend’s event as large as possible, resulting in almost a year of unusual traffic.
The four-mile journey reportedly lasted several hours, prompting locals hoping to see the pinnacle of motorsport to pack up and leave.
It will certainly be an event like no other and Hamilton hopes locals will learn to embrace and love F1. But he can’t imagine the Las Vegas Grand Prix being as big as the British Grand Prix.
“This is definitely a big show,” Hamilton told the media, as reported by Total-Motorsport.com.
“And it’s never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, people in this community, people here in this community, have the privilege that we’ve had the privilege of growing up and experiencing.
”This is probably what the track will be like Good, maybe bad. It was mediocre in the simulation and it’s definitely not Silverstone, but I don’t think we should leave it alone until we give it a try.
” This weekend will be the third race after the Miami Grand Prix and the American Grand Prix.
Some people think it’s wrong that in the United States there are three races, and in countries like Germany and India there are no races.
Hamilton has repeatedly supported his F1 race in the United States, recognizing that “one is not enough” for the sport to reap the maximum benefit from the market.
“This sport continues to grow and at the end of the day it’s a business and I think we’re going to continue to see some great racing here,” Hamilton added.
“It’s a really big country. I think we needed at least two races to really develop the market here and really engage the crowd.
“One just wasn’t enough. This is one of the most iconic and unique cities you’ll find here. Like all of America’s great cities, all the lights on the show.