Lead singer of rock band U2, Bono, has mocked Formula 1 as being “less dangerous” than “rock and roll”, ahead of the returning Las Vegas Grand Prix.
After months of anticipation, F1 will return to Sin City for the first time since 1982, with a new street circuit to feature part of the iconic Vegas Strip.
As a result of the Las Vegas GP, U2 are halting their shows in the remarkable Sphere venue until early December.
U2’s concerts in Vegas are now set to end in February 2024, with additional shows having taken place in October and November due to high demand.
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F1 is very much going to be the show in town and steal U2’s thunder, as the sport has pulled out all of the stops to make the event as enormous as possible.
This is largely because it’s F1 themselves who are promoting the Grand Prix, something they’ve never done before.
Bono joked in U2’s final show ahead of their break for the F1 that they were “giving Las Vegas back”, before he tried to explain what the pinnacle of motorsport actually was.
“We’re going on a little break after tonight,” Bono said, as reported by GPFans.com. “We’re giving Las Vegas back, to Formula 1 actually we’re giving it to.
“Now, if you don’t know what Formula 1 is, it’s a sport where very tidy, lean, mean men and some extraordinary women climb onto rockets and try to stay on Earth and not achieve orbit or something like that.
“A little like rock and roll, less dangerous!”
Whilst F1 were hoping for the Las Vegas GP to be surrounded by excitement, it’s arguably anything but at the moment.
Ticket sales have been a huge issue, mostly because the prices were astronomical when initially released.
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Due to the low interest, ticket prices have been slashed, although those set to attend will be needing to take several layers.
It will potentially be the coldest race of the season, with the temperature expected to be around 10 degrees Celsius when the Grand Prix gets underway Saturday night at 10pm local time.
Cold temperatures will make it virtually impossible for the drivers to generate heat into their tyres, with the majority of the grid expecting the race to be full of surprises.