In the last few weeks, little has gone the way the F1 authorities would’ve liked things to go around the Las Vegas GP. Beginning from the construction issues that drew flak from the locals for disrupting their personal lives, F1 had to also face protests from people for their unwelcome makeover of the city. The weather conditions during the racing hours and the peculiar track layout have only added to the misery of the authorities. However, it could all have been avoided had the authorities taken note of the words of Peter Windsor.
Revealing his plans from over a decade ago in a video on his official YouTube channel, Windsor said he proposed that the authorities should’ve looked to secure a large piece of the desert land and turn it into an American version of some of the most iconic tracks from around the globe, such as the Nurburgring of Spa or even a culmination of both.
Additionally, there could be space for an F1 Hall of Fame within the premises, and there could be a special clause within the Concorde agreement regarding the top three drivers of each year. The clause would see all three drivers go on a tour of the American tracks for a few weeks, doing all sorts of events, including Karting and charity showcases. According to Windsor, the move would help F1 boost its popularity and reach within the American states.
The plans by Windsor might have worked out much better for F1 than the current event. There were even reports of drivers accepting Windsor’s proposal at the time, giving way for a true “greatest show on earth” spectacle, but the authorities did not accept it.
An Ecclestone-esque Las Vegas GP would be much better
Further in the video, the Veteran journalist showed agreement with the words of Max Verstappen, where the Dutchman claimed the Las Vegas GP was “99% show and 1% racing.” He cited the time that Bernie Ecclestone was in charge of F1 and claimed a similar incident would never occur if Ecclestone was still the head honcho of the sport. The Briton was particularly against street circuits as he claimed it caused logistical challenges for the city’s locals anywhere in the world.
After Ayrton Senna’s death in 1994, Ecclestone adopted an even more firm approach to races, making sure the races occurred only on the tracks he could control. The locals would use the streets all year round, making it difficult for the sport to monopolize control. Thus, the former F1 CEO only approved racing on specially-made tracks away from the cities.
With what we have seen in the Las Vegas GP so far, Ecclestone was a visionary in his planning of events and races. Given the immense backlash, the F1 authorities should consider copying Ecclestone’s approach in the organization of new races. Should they be able to crack the code, the authorities could truly make the Las Vegas GP the Greatest Show on Earth.
