As the inaugural Las Vegas GP approaches, three-time Formula 1 world champion, Max Verstappen has delivered his verdict on the race. While on his sim-racing live stream, the Dutchman was asked about his thoughts on the upcoming race. According to a video of the moment on X, Verstappen was far from impressed.
While on stream, Verstappen was asked what he thought about the upcoming race on the iconic Vegas strip. The 26-year-old took a long, long pause before unenthusiastically muttering a few words. When prompted that he could say no, Verstappen, monotonically replied, “I don’t know man!”
“Max, are you looking forward to Las Vegas?”
Max: *long ass pause* “ehmmm, uff!”
“You can say no.”
Max: “I don’t know man!”
Max is me 🤝🏻 I am Max pic.twitter.com/BdKMUE9YQf
— tati ☁️ (@f1tati) November 13, 2023
The Dutchman’s lack of enthusiasm shouldn’t come as a shock for the fans. Motorsport.com quoted him as saying, “I think we are there more for the show than the racing itself if you look at the layout of the track.”
F1’s $500 million gamble starts to crumble in Las Vegas
The Las Vegas GP was being billed as the greatest spectacle in open-wheel racing ever. However, as the weekend has come closer to reality, the entire thing has descended into chaos and anarchy leading to a whole host of criticism. With union workers and locals out in protest, it might also happen that the GP is cancelled altogether.
Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, have reportedly invested a massive $500,000,000 into the event. Despite the immense contributions and flat out efforts of the promoters to make it an appealing spectacle, the GP is now being tipped to be a massive embarrassment for the sport.
🚨 | Max Verstappen’s Honest Opinions On The Las Vegas GP 🇺🇸
“First of all, I think we are there more for the show than the racing itself if you look at the layout of the track.”
“But you know, I’m actually not that into it. I’m more like, I’ll go there and do my thing and be… pic.twitter.com/hkBbmHKU5g
— el Formula (@elFormulaOne) November 13, 2023
Another aspect that drills the Vegas GP further into the ground is the allure of competition. Both, the driver’s and the constructors’ championships are wrapped up. Hence, the race can only be tagged as a fancy party trick rather than an iconic Grand Prix event.
Max Verstappen himself has revealed how utterly disinterested he is about the race this weekend. He told Motorsport.com, “You know, I’m actually not that into it. I’m more like, I’ll go there and do my thing and be gone again.” When your biggest star says that about your grandest event, you know you’re in for trouble.
