After a loss worth $1,000,000, shop owners cry out in protest against Las Vegas GP as they claim ‘it destroys businesses’

The Las Vegas Grand Prix that is coming up in just a few weeks’ time is going to be the most ambitious F1 project in history. Over the last few years, there has been an incredible upsurge in the popularity of Formula 1 in the Americas because of several factors. While initially F1 was mostly based on Europe with just one race being held across the pond, the United States GP, the scene has completely changed now. Last year, the fans hailed the debut of the Miami Grand Prix, and the FIA followed it up with the Las Vegas GP–the costliest F1 race to have been held till date.

While the Las Vegas GP is shaping up to cost the Formula One Management an unimaginable amount, it is proving to be expensive for the locals too. The shop owners who have their outlets in the areas near the proposed racing circuit have seen a huge dip in their sales ever since the construction began. This is because the roads that lead to the shops have been completely blocked to the public because the racing circuit is being built. And thus, none of the customers can even reach the Jay’s Market (where the shops are located) to get their items, resulting in a loss that amounts to millions in total.

The Shell gas station that is present adjacent to the Jay’s Market has also seen a decline in business because of the Las Vegas GP. The Las Vegas Review-Journal claims that even though the gas station saw sale of up to 4,000 gallons per day, it is now hardly being able to sell 800 gallons in recent months. The report even claimed that the blockage of the roads due to the Las Vegas GP has made the surrounding area look “like a nearly deserted island”.

Casino Manager who operates near the Las Vegas Strip claims the Grand Prix construction caused loss worth millions

It is no news that the FOM have acquired a part of one of the most important places in Las Vegas, the Vegas Strip. It is lined by casinos and shows off the grandeur of the Sin City. But the construction of the racing circuit has actually led to the casinos losing out on important clients. Randy Markin, who acts as the Stage Door Casino General Manager, was vocal about the headships his business has faced just because of the road blocks that have been put in place for the racing circuit construction.

This has cost our business over a million dollars in sales over a normal year because nobody can get here. We don’t have one regular in the bar. No regular will come in and nobody can get to the store.

On the other hand, the Las Vegas GP has caused a clash between the F1 officials and the Clark County members. While the former have demanded a sum of $40 million from the county men for the construction of the racing circuit, the negotiations are still underway. But as of now, there has been no official statement and nor has there been a proper price tag to display the entire amount that is going into the making of the Las Vegas GP.

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