Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Behind the Scenes of the Race's Biggest Events

The 3.8-mile track was the first North American circuit to take over existing city streets. Drivers raced past iconic Las Vegas locations including the Sphere (pictured), Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and The Venetian.Photo: Cristiano Barni/Shutterstock.com
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LAS VEGAS—The Las Vegas Strip might be one of the most well-known streets in the world—so shutting it down every day from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. was no easy feat for organizers of the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix. And that's before you take on the challenge of hosting the only F1 circuit in North America to ever be built on city streets—streets that needed to be drivable during the day.

The challenge accounts for some of the event's $500 million price tag, which included repaving streets along the 3.8-mile track, plus removing medians and palm trees and adding a reported 1,750 light units, 18 grandstands, 10 hospitality club structures, 7.6 miles of track barriers, four extra vehicular bridges, and three pedestrian bridges, according to The Washington Post. Organizers also built the permanent paddock building, a 300,000-square-foot, four-story venue adjacent to the Strip that will serve as a central hub for future editions of the race. 

The track wasn't the only thing that was a massive logistical feat. In one illuminating, by-the-numbers example of what some of the adjacent spaces and events required: Event design company Blueprint Studios was tasked with creating 285,000 square feet of hospitality space for the Grand Prix—and the resulting work required more than 150 semis filled with lighting and decor, a three-month install and strike requiring more than 300 crew members, and 9,999 linear feet of fabric and vinyl graphics.

American Express, Heineken, and Sports Illustrated each hosted their own experiences offering prime racetrack views, while Williams Racing, Neiman Marcus, Puma, T-Mobile, Michelob ULTRA, and others created interactive fan zones throughout the week.

While the event wasn't without its setbacks—including months of traffic congestion, unexpectedly cold weather, and a loose drain cover that canceled a practice session early on—it was expected to fuel $1.3 billion in economic activity, more than twice the projected total for the 2024 Super Bowl. Scroll down to see inside some of the major parties and activations from the celebrity-packed week in Sin City.