Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei has issued an apology to the local residents in Vegas, due to the chaos this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix has caused.
Whilst Formula 1, the teams and the drivers can’t wait to race in Sin City for the first time since 1982, the local residents are more excited for the championship’s departure on Sunday.
Significant construction work over recent months in preparation for the Grand Prix has caused complete mayhem in Vegas, with four-mile journeys reportedly taking several hours.
Hotel and flight prices have gone through the roof, whilst traffic on the iconic Vegas Strip has been ridiculous now for nine months.
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It’s been nine months of pain and misery for the locals who are just trying to continue with their everyday routines, something which for many has become impossible.
Simply being a pedestrian has become an immense challenge in Las Vegas, due to specific pathways having been devised due to the design of the street circuit.
Local residents have spoken out in their numbers at the frustration F1 has brought them, resulting in Maffei delivering an apology from the sport’s owners.
Whilst Maffei can understand their annoyance at the current situation in Vegas, he pointed out just how much revenue F1 is opening the Grand Prix will produce.
“I want to apologise to all the Las Vegas residents and we appreciate that they have their forbearance and their willingness to tolerate us,” Maffei said, as reported by The Guardian.
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“We’re going to bring something like $1.7bn of revenue to the area. So it’s not just for the benefit of fans who want to view. We hope this is a great economic benefit in Las Vegas. We hope this is the most difficult year with all the construction that went on and things will be easier in the future.”
What damage F1 will do to the casinos profits will likely be discovered after the Grand Prix, with some locals warning that if they don’t rake in much cash, then the pinnacle of motorsport returning will be extremely difficult.
Las Vegas does have a contract to host an F1 event for the next 10 years, something which could face scrutiny depending on the success of this weekend.