F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix fan fest to offer cheaper race experience

Formula One race fans who aren’t ready to plunk down the hundreds to thousands of dollars needed to attend the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix in person will have a cheaper option.

With the lowest priced ticket, sold only as three-day passes, listed at $500, some fans might be priced out from attending the race, which will take place Nov. 16-18 next year.

But Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm said a fan festival will be held on the Wynn West land, on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard between Fashion Show Drive and Genting Boulevard, so other fans can take in the excitement.

The plans for the fan fest are still being developed, but Wilm said tickets to the event will cost less than the $500 general admission price. Those tickets will go on sale sometime in 2023.

“One of the key components of that fan activations is that it is a lower ticket price than the general admission on-track,” Wilm said. “We’re really doing that to embrace the new demographic of our fan base. Younger, more diverse fans who maybe want to experience the race weekend, but are not yet at the point where they want to pay the full ticket price for an on-track experience.”

The first phase of ticket sales for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix occurred in November. The second of three ticket sales’ is set to go live in late February or early March. The third and final phase will open up to fans in May, Wilm said.

The initial ticket availability was only a small amount of the tickets that will be available for the race, with the next two phases set to offer the bulk of the buying opportunities.

“We have released a small percentage of the tickets, we really want to make sure that we’re very clear on exactly what tickets were selling and when,” Wilm said. “So, most of that will really come out in 2023.”

Meanwhile, work is underway on the area that will serve as the hub of all the action, the F1 paddock being constructed on the northeast corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane.

“We’re very excited that our building is starting to come to fruition,” Wilm said. “We’re putting some pillars in, we have some concrete poured. It’s really exciting to see it coming together.”

The paddock is to be a four-story, 300,00 square foot facility where the drier pits, VIP spectator locations and the start/finish line will be located. With the cost of the land and the construction of the building, F1, through owner Liberty Media, is investing $500 million in the facility.

There still isn’t an exact date when the needed road improvements are slated to begin to get the 3.8-mile route race ready, but that is expected to begin soon with the race less than a year away.

“We’re working closely with all the local stakeholders and our partners to begin the planning for the following 11 months,” Wilm said. “It’s going to go quickly and everything is starting to come together.”

Various upgrades are needed for the circuit, which will span portions of Las Vegas Boulevard, Harmon Avenue, Koval Lane and Spring Mountain Road, to be race ready, including repaving roads, adjusting corners and eventually welding down manholes.

The needed road work is estimated to cost $30 million, according to Clark County Commissioner and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board member Michael Naft.

F1 officials could ask the county to contribute funds to help carry out some of that work, and those conversations are actively occurring, according to Clark County.

“As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we recognize the unique impact that the F1 race and subsequent races in the resort corridor will have on our region as a whole and we are excited that F1 is now part of our growing sports brand,” the county said in a statement. “While Clark County continues to determine what dollars, if any, will be dedicated to make this a reality, we are committed to ensuring a public discussion occurs before a public private partnership is forged.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.