Formula 1: Las Vegas Grand Prix experience, from a fan's eyes

My fourth and final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season as a fan in the grandstands was the Las Vegas Grand Prix in Nevada. It was not in my plans until two weeks beforehand, when the ticket prices dropped immensely. I was not able to attend the entirety of the three-day weekend and only got tickets for the race itself.

After arriving in Las Vegas at around noon, traffic was quite rough, given the fact that the majority of the strip was closed due to the circuit. Luckily, I stayed off the strip in a surrounding neighborhood for a little bit more peace.

Gates to the Grand Prix opened at 4:30 p.m., as the race was slated to start at 10:00 p.m. The grandstand for which I had tickets was in the T-Mobile Zone, which surrounded the Sphere.

I sat in SG8, which gave me a great view of turn five into the entrance of turn six. Though this was my fourth Grand Prix experience, what these grandstands offered was unlike what I had ever seen before. All food and non-alcoholic drinks were complimentary, and this was all seemingly done without sacrificing the quality.

Countdown to the Grand Prix

With just under four hours to go, the only support series for the weekend had its final race. The Ferrari Challenge series featured nearly 40 cars on this narrow street circuit. It was my first time watching the series and it was quite the show. Though I did not know much about the series, one cool thing was how each Ferrari on the grid was sponsored by an actual dealer from somewhere around the world.

With just an hour to go until the drivers’ parade, I went over to the big stage right in front of the Sphere, where DJs were giving the fans a show. By the time the drivers’ parade came around by the Sphere, fans rushed over to the fence, which happened to be just a few feet away from the track. As the truck carrying the drivers came by, the drivers seemed so close up. I had never been closer to Lewis Hamilton in my life, and it was truly spectacular.

There were 90 minutes to go until the lights went out, and fans had turned their attention toward the big stage. Ludacris was set to give a special performance and fans were eagerly waiting. The second he came on stage, fans were screaming profusely. He gave a nice mini concert, which lasted for about 45 minutes, and given my youth, I only knew a few songs compared to many others in the crowd.

Upon its conclusion, I made my way back to my seat and eagerly waited for the formation lap to commence. It was about 60 degrees at the time, and the wind made it feel even colder. With just minutes leading up to the race, cameras on the big screen panned to Max Verstappen, as he could clinch his fourth consecutive world championship.

As the formation lap got underway, fans were screaming. Luckily, I was surrounded by Mercedes fans, so I did not have to deal with the cheers of Red Bull or McLaren fans. With the W15 having been rapid all weekend long, I was hoping it would be the same on race day as well. Hamilton had a tough task making his way up from P10, but on a circuit with tons of overtaking opportunities, I had no doubt he could do it.

The second the lights went out, phones were being pulled out left and right as fans waited for all 20 cars to come through turn five. Thankfully, George Russell held his lead through the first couple of turns. The British driver was on an absolute tear, maintaining and extending his lead throughout the race.

It was awesome to see Hamilton make his way through the grid, displaying some impressive pace. There was a period of the Grand Prix when he kept setting the fastest lap, even leaving the commentators shocked.

I was hoping for Verstappen to finish in front of Lando Norris, as I could not tolerate seeing the British driver still having a chance of winning the world championship beyond this weekend. Also, seeing Carlos Sainz Jr. having to bail from a pit stop due to the Ferrari pit crew not being ready brought out some laughs from the crowd. It had me thinking, “same old Ferrari”.

Russell’s dominance had me forget about him for a while, as all my attention was on Hamilton charging through the field. It was great to see him confident after some comments he made before this season-ending tripleheader started.

The crowd roared as he made his way into P2, and I was in awe. This was my first time seeing Mercedes do well at a Grand Prix I attended. My Las Vegas Grand Prix experience ended with a bang, as I witnessed a Mercedes 1-2, and the only time I will ever see Lewis Hamilton and George Russell share a podium for the Silver Arrows.