F1 is all hype no substance – it deserves all the stick it gets for Vegas farce
Of all the shambolic episodes F1 has conjured up over the years, the start to the Las Vegas GP is right up there – or should that be down there?
After all the (over) hype, the cavalcade of launch events and a tacky opening ceremony that made the World Cup’s version look classy, the sport has been left with a box-load of egg on its face.
Loose manhole covers led to first practice being cancelled and second practice being delayed until the early hours of the morning. It was so late, fans who have parted with colossal amounts of money for tickets were told the leave grandstands before the start – which finally began at 2.30am local time – because of “logistical issues”.
READ MORE: Las Vegas GP grandstands empty as fans predict 'biggest embarrassment in F1 history'
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F1 has seemingly put so much effort into promoting the event, that it has overlooked the most important bit – the on-track action. Apparently, according to Sky Sports, the homologation process (the track being declared F1 ready) wasn’t completed until the day before practice. But that’s F1 these days – all hype and little substance. Telling people, especially the US audience, that it’s really exciting without actually making it so.
The so-called ‘Drive to Survive effect’ has, we are constantly reminded, triggered a massive spike in interest among Americans, who were previously largely ambivalent about the pinnacle of motorsport. So much so that F1 has seen fit to have three US races, with the excellent Austin track being joined by the far-less-impressive Miami circuit and now Vegas and all the tawdry razzmatazz that comes with it.
What have you made of this morning's F1 farce? Let us know in the comments section below
Writing as an F1 nerd and cynic, I refuse to believe that America is suddenly a country of F1 fanatics. If you’ve only started watching because of a Netflix series which is full of trumped-up – and sometimes completely made-up – narratives, I’d suggest you’re not the type of fan who will stick with the sport through thick and thin.
Personally, I can handle a few seasons of one-driver or team domination as I’m interested in the whole sport from top to bottom. But for casual fans who want to see a battle at the front, there’s little to offer at present.
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Not that the F1 hype machine will have you believe that. Just stick on a race in the ‘capital of entertainment’ on a circuit surrounded by bright lights and casinos and jet in a few celebs. That’ll be enough, right? Wrong!
F1 has scandalously neglected its whole purpose and what has made it the world’s biggest annual sporting series. It deserves all the stick it is getting for this latest farce.
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