The worldwide phenomenon that is Formula One is putting down stakes in Las Vegas year-round. For its part, Formula One is now betting on Las Vegas on a year-round basis, not just for the race weekend. This year, the FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX will take November 20-22, 2025.
If home is where one’s history and experience is, Las Vegas may already be the center of the Formula One universe. Much of the $600 million hit Brad Pitt film, Formula One, was filmed at the last two Las Vegas races.
The race takes place on the south end of the Strip, which is closed to traffic during the weeks leading up to the race. Formula One has built a permanent building near the Strip, known as Grand Prix Plaza. It is the largest pit building in the F1 world. During the race period, the long two-story building is home to “the paddock,” or the garages for the race team, with entertainment space above for sponsors, customers, and high-end ticket holders.
But when not in use for the race, Grand Prix Plaza is a year-round attraction in Las Vegas, not just for the one weekend in November when the F1 carnival comes to town. Grand Prix Plaza at 4400 Koval Lane, offers an immersive experience and a potential pilgrimage site for the millions of Formula One fans around the world.
Fans can soak up much of the race’s history at F1 X at Grand Prix Plaza. F1 X is an interactive Formula 1 experience that lets guests design their own virtual F1 car and virtually race on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit from the driver’s seat in a 4D theater. There’s also a cutting cutting-edge exhibition about the cars, their builders and the drivers, featuring legendary artifacts like cars and the jackets of drivers, memorabilia, audio of pit to car conversations, and knowledgeable guides to explain it all.
There’s also the history of cars and the men who built them, like the Ferrari Dino. It was named by Enzo Ferrari for his son, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, an engine designer who died of muscular dystrophy at 24.
If F1 fans are hungry or thirsty, the restaurant Fuel & Fork at Grand Prix Plaza’s serves comfort food from pizzas and sliders to handmade pastas and decadent desserts. The bar there and at F1 HUB Lounge also make a mean negroni and other signature drinks.
The F1 HUB is the heart of Grand Prix Plaza. It houses a bank of F1 SIMS, a flagship F1 merchandise store and the HUB Lounge. The “SIMS” are F1 racing simulators that like the F1 cars themselves, you essentially “put on” rather than “get into.” Once past the tight squeeze, you’re racing virtually around the Las Vegas Strip F1 course. I didn’t do very well at the SIMS, crashing into several “walls” and being forced to back up on the race course.
F1 DRIVE was another story, and the highlight of my Grand Prix Plaza F1 experience. Tickets to race the karts start at $37.
F1 Drive, the official F1 karting attraction puts you behind the wheel of a high-performance electric go-kart on a section of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. You can take on friends or strangers to see who is the fastest—on the world’s only go-kart track set up on an actual Formula One track.
Even at 30mph, they are FAST. The High-performance karts, LED steering wheel displays and DRS technology deliver an experience that channels the speed, sights and sounds of the sport. I ended up finishing 3rd in a 4-man race, stopping my opponent from passing by weaving and blocking out as I whizzed through the lanes and curves.
On both the simulators and the electric go-karts, my advice is to hold on to your lunch and try not to hit ALL the barriers.
F1 X and Fuel & Fork close on September 14, while F1 Hub and F1 DRIE, the karting attraction are open through September 29. The closing, of course, is to prepare the Grand Prix Plaza for the race in November, when it will host all the F1 teams, their equipment, sponsors and guests. Grand Prix Plaza will reopen following this year’s race.
The Formula One organization originally signed a three-year agreement to bring the F1 races to Las Vegas starting in 2023. There is now a two-year extension on the original deal, keeping the race in Las Vegas through 2027.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Clark County and the major hotel chains and casino resorts also are betting on Formula One.
With Grand Prix Plaza as an attraction, Formula One is also reaching residents who might never have visited or participated. This effort may pay off both financially and in terms of community pride and “ownership.” The effort began after the first race in 2023, when race organizers intensified efforts to work with the community after complaints of endless construction and road blockages.
The first race brought nearly $1.5 billion to the city, which included non-recurring construction spending. The second race “only” brought $934 million to the city, but was still the largest weekend event, occurring during one of Las Vegas’ slowest weeks.
A study stated that visitors to Las Vegas for the event spent an average of $2,400 per person last year, not including race tickets, almost double the average spending for a visitor to Las Vegas.
However, in an investor call, Derek Chang, CEO of Liberty Media, the parent of F1, acknowledged that the Grand Prix had “missed internal expectations on revenue” in the second year of the race, primarily due to ticket sales.”
Chang said F1 had “moved very quickly to enact changes that will benefit 2025 and support a financially successful race for F1 and continued growth and positive impact for the Las Vegas community.”
In response, it’s been reported that Formula One is lowering ticket prices on both the lower end and in the Paddock Club. I attended the first race in November 2023 and my sense was that many middle income F1 fans stayed away from the track and from Vegas itself during race weekend as they thought it would be just too expensive.
“Our goal has always been to create a world-class event for every fan, and that commitment is stronger than ever in 2025,” said Emily Prazer, President and CEO of Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc. “With two years of feedback in hand from fans and stakeholders, we are dedicated to making the Las Vegas Grand Prix more accessible to a wider audience by expanding affordable ticket options, introducing flexible payment plans and offering the best value to early ticket purchasers – all while ensuring an unforgettable experience.”
Another way Formula One is putting down stakes in Las Vegas is by partnering with community groups. F1 recently held a go karting camp for more than 1000 members of the Las Vegas Boys and Girls clubs, with the top young drivers moving on to a championship round.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Las Vegas Grand Prix to offer this one-of-a-kind karting experience to our Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada members across the valley. Opportunities like this not only expose our youth to exciting new activities but also open doors to the world of motorsports, teamwork, and STEM education in a hands-on way,” said Andy Bischel, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to creating meaningful, memorable experiences that inspire young people to dream big on and off the track.”
Although there have been a couple of American champions, (Phil Hill in 1961, Mario Andretti in 1978), Formula One has always been seen as an international competition. But Formula One’s unique blend of horsepower, technology and drama now appeals to a massive U.S. audience as well. Perhaps a future Formula One champion will come from the most American city of all—Las Vegas.