The Las Vegas GP has been an interesting race ever since its debut in 2023. With the latest decision taken by Clark County commissioners in Nevada, F1’s commitment to the Las Vegas GP further underlines the F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali's vision for growth in the US.

The governing body has approved a 10-year extension of the Las Vegas GP.

In a statement given to The Athletic, Stefano Domenicali noted the potential for growth for F1 in the States, along with the expansion in the number of races, and what they have learnt in terms of staying relevant by taking inspiration from other American sports. 

"Formula 1 has a huge opportunity for growth in the US; it’s a fantastic nation of true sports lovers," said Domenicali. "We’re learning respectfully from established sports like NBA and NFL how to be relevant to both existing fans and those who are new and curious about F1."

Expanding on F1's rapid expansion in the US, with three races, Domenicali added:

"We’ve gone from one race to three in the USA in just a few short years, and this 10-year extension to the Las Vegas Grand Prix shows our commitment both to North America and to working with our partners over the long-term to deliver investment that will continue to elevate the event and deliver something new and exciting every year.”

The extension will allow Las Vegas to be a regular fixture on the F1 calendar till 2037. Meanwhile, the Miami Grand Prix (2041) and the US Grand Prix (2034) already have ongoing long-term contracts to stay on the F1 calendar. 

More importantly, this agreement allows organizers to make more streamlined investments and efforts for the proper development of the circuit, which has been an issue in the past. 

Steve Hill On Criticism of Las Vegas GP: “You Can’t Invest Properly if You Only Have Certainty for 2-3 Years"

The development of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix was not a perfect one, as construction and repaving issues led to headaches for daily commuters, particularly in some of the more densely populated areas.

A few businesses also claimed to suffer and filed lawsuits against the organizers, which were eventually settled out-of-court. 

The CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Steve Hill, acknowledged issues during the preparations of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. He explained that a longer tenure means that the development of the track can finally be more measured. 

"The complaints were fair, and I’ve said, 'If we had to do year one each year, it was too hard, we wouldn’t do it.' You can’t really invest capital dollars if you’re going to have only certainty for three years or two years."

According to an F1 report, the 2025 Las Vegas GP generated $43 million in state and local tax revenue, and over 300,000 attended the race weekend. 

What do you think of F1 cars hurtling down the Strip?

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Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Yash Kotak