F1 paddock at 80% complete; work crews race to finish line

Crews are working around the clock to finish the Formula One paddock building ahead of this fall’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Sitting at 80 percent complete, the paddock structure on the northeast corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane has quickly come into form after construction began last November.

The dirt lot has been transformed to include a 300,000-square-foot, four-level structure that will be the main hub of race activities for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Each day, 450 laborers are working on the paddock site, with the project on schedule for obtaining its temporary occupancy certificate from Clark County as early as the middle of October, according to Terry Miller, of Miller Project Management, who is overseeing it.

Once the permit is in hand, crews can begin fitting the facility to make it race ready to suit F1’s needs.

Although on a tight schedule, Miller is confident the paddock site will be ready for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend Nov. 16-18.

“We’ll be there in time for the race event, absolutely,” Miller said. “These last three months are going to be very hectic.”

Structural support has been installed on the roof, which will house the LED screen in the shape of F1’s logo. Testing of the screen is planned in the coming months. Escalators have also been installed inside the building.

The paddock building itself will house the drivers’ garages on ground level, with high-end suite spaces scheduled to be located on second and third floors and VIP viewing spaces planned for the roof.

Surrounding the paddock is the East Harmon spectator zone, which will feature five structures. That includes the main grandstand, which will stretch 1,066 feet long and stand as high as 78 feet tall. Other grandstands within the paddock area will also be constructed on the other side of the paddock near Ellis Island, according to Brett Taylor, senior director of operations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The construction of the spectator areas in the paddock site began this month and is planned to last through October.

Just off-site along what will be portions of the race’s circuit, 130 laborers are working on the North and South Koval spectator zones.

The Koval South zone will feature six structures that include glass-enclosed suites that will each be 3 stories tall. Work on this zone started last month and is scheduled to wrap up in October.

Construction of the Koval north zone began in June and will be completed next month. The structures are also 3 stories tall and feature multiple different spaces for race fans.

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