Well, maybe not so welcome after all…
Let’s just say that residents and visitors to Las Vegas haven’t been happy with the Grand Prix coming to town. The interruptions caused by construction, the confiscatory pricing, and the changes to The Strip have all contributed to bad feelings all the way around. FOM bet $500 million of it’s own funds to make this a signature event but it could well come up snake eyes. Even if the event generates the (projected) $1 billion in economic activity for the city, will it be worth it?
According to normal folks, the answer is a clear “no”.
Earlier this week, a post on Jalopnik described how regular people in Vegas regard the race and everything around it. The overall sentiment was that it is not worth it or welcomed. This has been especially difficult for those who work at the hotels and casinos near the track. It seems like chaos and poor communication were prevalent. As the author writes:
Other conversations with resort workers confirmed that many properties still hadn’t initiated a plan of action for employees to arrive at work during race weekend, only asking them to factor in a three-hour commute time; those conversations took place 10 days before the first on-track practice session for F1 cars.
https://jalopnik.com/i-hope-it-bankrupts-them-las-vegas-residents-enraged-a-1851009102
There’s much more but you get the idea, the event is not a hit with locals and non-F1 fans.
Another local discussed other aspects of the Grand Prix, particularly who benefits and who bears the cost. As he points out; Liberty Media (owners of FOM), the casinos, and sponsors will do fine whether or not the event is success. However, the vast majority of the people who live and work in Las Vegas will mainly bear the costs. Give Jacob’s video a watch when you have a chance, he has a great perspective on what’s going on.
All this is an ominous portend for the Grand Prix. There’s no doubt about it, hosting this event has already proven memorable, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Guess we’ll see how this roll of the dice turns out.
