The three-time World Champion Max Verstappen has been quite vocal about his personal opinions which may not align with other drivers. He has even discouraged an honorable award presented to him by his countrymen. Since the beginning of the highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix, there have been multiple mishaps.
It all began when Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz hit a drain hole lid during FP1 which led to a major unwanted delay that upset the fans who were asked to leave before FP2 started.
The Dutch driver was clearly not happy with how the fans were dealt with amidst this situation. As fans could only witness nine minutes of racing, they were handed $200 worth of vouchers as compensation for the hefty prices they paid for the tickets. According to Verstappen, “Then they still make money! Great. If I was a fan, I would tear down the whole place. This can’t be right.” But Max Verstappen believes that the crowd did not find the reward satisfactory.
Max Verstappen says he would tear the whole place down if he was a fan and received the $200 voucher as a compensation for yesterday’s events:
“Then they make money from it here too. Awesome! If I were a fan, I would tear the whole place down. This can’t be true, can it?”#F1… pic.twitter.com/NKIsp8oOaP
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) November 18, 2023
The first practice was completely canceled, which caused the second practice to be rescheduled. Owing to “logistical concerns,” fans were not present for the session as the grandstands were vacated. This unplanned postponement caused a ruckus; some claimed it made the event less of a sporting event and more of a performance.
Max Verstappen doubles down on disliking Las Vegas GP’s ‘99% show’
As the second United States Grand Prix started with a bang at the Sin City, which was taken down with a blow, the Red Bull driver was unimpressed by the street circuit. Liberty Media, the holding company of Formula 1, had its first-ever event over the weekend.
Wednesday night’s grand opening ceremony along the start-finish straight marked the beginning of the spectacular event. A range of laser and fireworks-based shows, such as those by Kylie Minogue and John Legend, thrilled the crowd.
A huge collection of Max Verstappen’s remarks about the Las Vegas GP👇
On the Las Vegas track:
“Monaco, I think, is Champion’s League. This is (the) National League.”On the Las Vegas GP:
“It’s 99% show, 1% sporting event”On Toto Wolff:
“I think if it was his car, then he… pic.twitter.com/Tc2fvDF0yZ— Dan’s DRS Zone (@F1GuyDan) November 18, 2023
But Max Verstappen has not been a fan of the Vegas experience compared to his longstanding rival, Lewis Hamilton. He stated that the event is, “99% show and 1% sporting event. It’s not about the singers. We are just standing up there, looking like a clown.” The driver made it apparent that he was least interested in the marketing and over-the-top display of the event and added, “For me, you can skip this.”
Verstappen was looking to finish the remaining races with a winning record, having already secured his third world title earlier in the year. He failed to, however, connect with the thrills and celebrations of Las Vegas. The Dutchman was even less pleased with the new 3.8-mile circuit as a result of its long straight along the famous Las Vegas Boulevard.
