Max Verstappen claims he will simply ‘do his thing and leave’ at the Las Vegas GP

Max Verstappen believes that the Las Vegas GP is more about the show than racing.

Max Verstappen claims he will simply ‘do his thing and leave’ at the Las Vegas GP

Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

The Las Vegas GP is arguably the most highly-anticipated race in the recent history of Formula 1. F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media has invested almost half a billion dollars in the upcoming street race. However, 2023 F1 world champion Max Verstappen believes that the Vegas race is more about the show than the racing.

The three-time world champion recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the track layout. Verstappen claimed that Formula 1‘s primary focus is to give a massive show for attendees in Sin City, rather than to have some action-packed racing during the Las Vegas GP. Subsequently, the Dutch driver made it clear that he would simply focus on the race. As the 26-year-old wasn’t interested in the other aspects of the race.

First of all, we are there more for the show than the race itself, looking at the layout of the circuit. I’m not actually that much into that, I’m more: ‘I’ll go there, do my thing and be gone.’

Max Verstappen said as reported by RacingNews365

However, the 26-year-old admitted that there is still a lot of work left for him to do before the start of the weekend. Max Verstappen revealed that he still hasn’t tried out the Las Vegas GP circuit on Red Bull’s F1 simulator. Moreover, the Dutch driver mentioned that he had a chaotic first run on the track while playing the official F1 ’23 game.

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I still need to go on the simulator. I still don't even know the track, to be honest, the last time I tried it on the F1 game, I think I hit more walls than I was going straight, so, let’s hope that’s not the case when I start driving there.

Max Verstappen reckons the Las Vegas GP could pack some surprises

The Las Vegas GP is expected to take place in alarmingly low temperatures. The temperature will likely drop below 5°C or 41°F. Many have raised concerns regarding this issue as drivers might struggle to get the ideal tire temperatures. Subsequently, Verstappen mentioned that this could indeed affect the grip on the track.

We have no experience there. We don't know the track grip, it is all new, so maybe it will give a few surprises.
A representative image for the Las Vegas GP (image via F1)
A representative image for the Las Vegas GP (image via F1)

The three-time world champion admitted that this could bring in a few surprises during the race and impact the pecking order. Max Verstappen believed that the Las Vegas GP would likely not add much to the racing spectacle in F1. However, the Dutch driver acknowledged that the race would benefit the partners of the sport commercially.

Certainly, high expectations have been laid on the Las Vegas GP. F1 and Liberty Media are looking to earn substantial sums from the race despite facing a plethora of challenges before the weekend. Nevertheless, fans from around the world would be looking forward to seeing how this race pans out in the streets of Sin City.

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