Voters on social media site X have had their say in regard to the Las Vegas F1 race, which will have its second edition on November 23. The race has proven controversial among local residents because of the substantial disruption caused in setting up the debut event last year.
To assess opposition to this year’s Las Vegas F1, Las Vegas Locally took to X to ask followers whether the Nevada city should continue to host the races. A large portion of the responses favored: “No, not at all:”
Around 40% of the 10,012 respondents voted that Las Vegas should axe the race altogether, perhaps preferring the city to focus on gambling and its local businesses. Meanwhile, nearly 30% wanted the race to move off the Strip, while an even smaller 25% wanted it to remain as it was.
business owners claim last year’s race cost them as much as $30m
A petition launched by six Vegas business owners is seeking to stop the 2024 Grand Prix from going ahead. It surpassed its initial target of 500 signatures on Tuesday and is now headed for a new target of 1,000. The business owners claim last year’s race cost them as much as $30m due to disruption.
Despite the opposition, proponents for the Grand Prix argue that it can make the city a lot of money in the long run. Organizers estimated that it had an economic impact of about $1.3bn on the region in 2023, creating 7,700 jobs and $361m in wages.