Talks begin on F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix future - 'We see the disruption'

As F1 heads to Nevada for the Las Vegas Grand Prix talks begin on the race’s future and the longevity of the street circuit.

The Las Vegas GP is entering its third year on the F1 calendar since it was re-introduced in 2023, and so far the Sin City showstopper has been impressive for fans but unpopular with local residents.

Local business owners have reported losses during the Las Vegas GP weekend due to a pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Flamingo and Koval, with four businesses in the area filing three separate lawsuits against F1 for the disruption.

It appears however, that the Las Vegas GP is here to stay with a new two-year deal kicking in from next year; yet officials are hoping that they can secure the city’s place on the calendar for even longer than 2027.

Talks are underway between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and F1 on a new deal for five to 10 years, which could keep the grand prix on the calendar as late as 2037.

To combat disruption to the local community, Las Vegas GP president and CEO Emily Prazer hopes F1’s owners Liberty Media will provide funding to make the race easier to set up and tear down each year.

“We see the disruption; the challenge has been from the offset that when you have a short time deal it’s hard to put a lot of capital expenditure, which any business would tell you the same thing,” Prazer said.

“The longer-term deal we can get from the destination, the more we can invest in infrastructure to make this easier.”

“Every year, we’re trying to tighten up both build up and take down (of the track).

“Take down is always faster than building. So, we’ll continue to keep pushing that as much as we can. I think the biggest thing is the lighting, I think if we can figure out what this long-term relationship looks like, it’s putting in year-round operational benefit to the destination too.”

How much disruption does F1 cause to Las Vegas?

To combat the installation time permanent fixtures could be added to the area, which would also lead to less disruption of traffic, another major concern in Las Vegas.

At this year’s event, the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed road closures will begin at 1pm and roads will be fully closed by 3pm, but roads can be expected to reopen at 10pm and be fully open around midnight.

The 2025 Las Vegas GP will reportedly take four months to set up and take down in total, with construction starting in September and the dismantling process taking place around Christmas.

Nevertheless, there is commitment for the race to remain on the calendar, with emphasis on a more streamlined set up and take down process to soothe complaints.

Next week’s Las Vegas GP has pulled in $6.5 million from the LVCVA to sponsor the event and a further $10 million per year will be spent to sponsor the 2026 and 2027 races.

“If we’ve done anything, we’ve proved that we’re willing to put up money, so this isn’t about us not wanting to invest in Las Vegas,” Prazer concluded.

“We continue to want to, we just need to have the security of the partnerships to be able to do so.”

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