After the opening show of Formula 1 in Las Vegas, world champion Max Verstappen reiterated his indifference to the entertainment program of the premier motorsport class away from the racetracks.
The Red Bull driver said he had “zero interest” in the combination of “99 percent show, 1 percent sporting event” and added: “I always just want to focus on the performance. I don’t like all that stuff.”
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the prestige project of Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media, which wants to further grow the racing series in the booming US market.
“I’m not pretending”
“Whether I like it or not, they are still making money. I don’t pretend, I express my opinion, on positive and negative things,” said the Dutchman, who is a three-time champion before the penultimate Grand Prix of the year. “Some people like the show a little more, I don’t like it at all. I grew up just looking at the performance.”
During the opening party in Las Vegas, stars such as Kylie Minogue and John Legend performed, and a light show with drones illuminated the impressive nighttime backdrop in the drizzle. The assembled team of drivers was introduced to the audience on the start-finish straight. “I like being in Vegas, but not so much for the racing. For me, you can just leave all those things out,” Verstappen said after the parade. You stand there and look “like a clown.”
Alonso expresses understanding
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso believes the show factor in the gambling metropolis is understandable. “Places like this and given the investment that has been made, deserve a different treatment and a different show,” said the Spanish Aston Martin driver. He is ready “to deliver an extra for this type of show”, but Alonso considers the pilots’ media appointments to be excessive.
