northAfter the pompous opening show of Formula 1 in Las Vegas, world champion Max Verstappen has reiterated his indifference towards the entertainment program of the premier class of motorsport outside the circuits. The Red Bull driver said he had “no interest” in the combination of “99 percent spectacle, 1 percent sporting event,” the Red Bull driver said Wednesday afternoon (local time). “I always want to focus on performance. “I don’t like all these things.”
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the prestige project of Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media, which wants to further grow the racing series in the burgeoning US market. Already in 1981 and 1982 races were held in the gaming metropolis. At the time, events held in the parking lot behind the Caesars Palace hotel received little attention.
“Whether I like it or not, they are still making money. “I don’t pretend, I express my opinion on positive and negative things,” said the Dutchman, who confirmed himself as three-time champion before the penultimate Grand Prix of the year. “Some people like the program a little more, I don’t like it at all. “I grew up just watching performance.”
Light and fireworks show: the opening ceremony of the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas
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Image: AFP
Stars including Kylie Minogue and John Legend performed at the launch party in Las Vegas, and a drone light show illuminated the stunning nighttime backdrop in the drizzle. The assembled team of drivers was presented to the public on the start and finish straight. “I like being in Las Vegas, but not so much for the racing. For me, you can leave all these things out,” Verstappen said after the parade. You stand there and look like “a clown.”
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso believes that the spectacle factor in the gambling metropolis is understandable. “Places like this and given the investment that has been made, deserve different treatment and a different show,” said the Spanish Aston Martin driver. He is willing “to give extra for this type of show,” but Alonso considers the media quotes of the drivers excessive.