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Max Verstappen has criticised the “99% show, 1% sporting event” nature of this weekend’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix and lambasted Wednesday’s opening ceremony. F1 is returning to Vegas for the first time in more than 40 years with a new street circuit, with F1 themselves promoting the event and building a new pit building to the tune of $500m. But three-time world champion Verstappen, who was among the 20 drivers dramatically introduced to the crowd during Wednesday’s lavish opening ceremony via a lift onto a string of podiums, did not pull any punches about the spectacle of the event in Sin City. “I don’t like all the things around it,” said the Red Bull driver. “I’m looking forward to trying to do the best I can but I’m not looking forward to this. “For me you can skip these kind of things. It’s just standing up there, you look like a clown. “I fully understand and you can look at it two ways, business side or sport side. So, of course, I understand their side of it. “I’m just voicing my opinion on the performance side of things.” Wednesday’s opening ceremony started with spectacular drone sequences, preceding a number of performances from artists such as Kylie Minogue, John Legend and Tiesto. All 20 drivers then briefly appeared to rapturous applause from the crowd in the grandstands. Read More F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Opening ceremony updates and news Lewis Hamilton makes F1 ‘circus’ plea after backlash from Las Vegas locals Celebrities and sponsors descend on Las Vegas as F1 returns to Sin City

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F1 heads to the US again for the highly-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix on the world-famous strip and the penultimate race of the 2023 season. Max Verstappen won his 17th grand prix of a sensational season last time out in Brazil, with Lando Norris claiming second place once again and Fernando Alonso clinching third spot ahead of Sergio Perez after a tremendous late battle in Interlagos. Mercedes endured a torrid weekend to forget in Sao Paulo, while Charles Leclerc was forced to retire before the race even began due to a mechanical issue with his Ferrari car. F1 now returns to Vegas for the first time in 41 years for a 50-lap race around the picturesque 3.8 mile, 17-turn circuit. The race has a 10-year contract and will take place under the lights on Saturday night in Sin City. There will also be a unique opening ceremony tonight. Follow live updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix with The Independent Read More How Formula 1 cracked America Lewis Hamilton makes F1 ‘circus’ plea after backlash from Las Vegas locals ‘I would not be shocked if King Charles showed up’: Las Vegas opens its doors to Formula One

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Lewis Hamilton insists locals living in Las Vegas “can’t be negatively affected” by Formula 1’s arrival in the city this week – and the sport should not turn into a “circus.” F1 holds its first grand prix in Vegas for more than 40 years this weekend, with a brand new street circuit which sees cars speed down the world-famous strip at over 200mph. But there has been a backlash among some locals due to the disruption caused by the construction of the track, including a $500m pit building facility. Tourists and taxi drivers have voiced their annoyance following traffic delays throughout the city as a result of road closures – and seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton believes the sport must stay “respectful” to locals. “I’ve heard there’s been a lot of complaints about the event being here from the locals,” Hamilton told Sky Sports News. “I think we have to be respectful of the locals here, so many people working so hard – there’s a lot of money and wealth in this city. “We’ve got to make sure people are taken care of. We can’t be a circus that shows up that’s all glitz and glamour and people are affected negatively by it, in my opinion.” Vegas will host the third F1 race of the season in the United States, following on from Miami in May and Austin last month. Hamilton admits it’s been “amazing” to see the growth of F1 ever since his debut in 2007 – and a stage when he had to “educate” Americans about the sport. “I’ve been here [in F1] now for 16 years – it’s been really impressive to see the growth of our sport,” Hamilton added. “I used to come to America, the first grand prix in 2007 in Indianapolis, and over the years always having to educate people about what this sport is about. “Knowing how big a sporting audience they have here and I just couldn’t understand why they weren’t drawn to sport like we were growing up, living with it “It’s been amazing to see the shift over the last couple of years, that the country is really embracing the sport and seem to love it just as much as we do.” Hamilton was speaking at a sponsors event on Tuesday night at Speed City on the outskirts of Las Vegas, with AMG collaborating with IWC for the launch of Mercedes’ new AMG GT Coupe’ road car. Read More Celebrities and sponsors descend on Las Vegas as F1 returns to Sin City How Formula 1 cracked America Bernie Ecclestone wouldn’t bet on F1’s future in Las Vegas ‘I would not be shocked if King Charles showed up’: Las Vegas opens its doors to F1 F1 2023 season race schedule: When is the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Michael Schumacher fans set for rare insight into F1 legend’s life in new documentary

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he is fuelled by a personal anger and drive to help Lewis Hamilton win the record eighth world championship he was denied in Abu Dhabi. In an interview with the PA news agency ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster Las Vegas Grand Prix, team principal Wolff also revealed his own succession plan at Mercedes – in which he plans to skip as many as 10 races each season – and claimed Hamilton, 38, could compete in Formula One for at least another five years. Wolff has arrived in Sin City for the inaugural night race on the Las Vegas strip following Mercedes’ abysmal performance last time out in Brazil – one he described as the worst of his career. I have a personal anger, and drive to make him (Hamilton) win the eighth title because he should have had it Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff Hamilton finished 63 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen, and gloomily predicted he will not be a championship contender for the next two years. Next month will mark two years since the seven-time world champion last won a race, and that ill-fated evening in Abu Dhabi where race referee Michael Masi’s failure to imply the correct rules left him at the mercy of Verstappen. The Dutchman took the championship in the desert before quickly racking up another two titles in his all-conquering Red Bull. “We are living in a hamster wheel where time passes so quickly that it doesn’t feel like it has been two years,” said Wolff. “You can see how quickly the pecking order changes. We won eight constructors’ championships in a row, and it has been two years since Red Bull have been taking the trophy home. But we have to look forward, learn from the past, and the push now is to make Lewis win quickly again. “I have a personal anger, and drive to make him win the eighth title because he should have had it. “As a team principal, it is important to be fair and open with both drivers. But there is a big part of us that will always want to be a part of that story in undoing and overcoming 2021.” Hamilton will start a new two-year deal with the Silver Arrows next season, worth an estimated £100million. He will be nearly 41 at the conclusion of the contract, but Wolff does not believe it will be his last with Mercedes. “We are living from contract-to-contract, and it is important that we are doing what we think is right and what we feel is right, and at the moment I personally feel he can go longer,” added the Austrian. And could he carry on for another five years? “He is 39 in January, and Fernando (Alonso – 42) is still going strong,” replied Wolff. “As long as you look after yourself, you do the best preparation, physically and mentally, and develop different areas to when you are 25, then yes. “We just need to give him a car that is quick enough. And, as a driver, I have no doubt about him. You have seen in the last races that his performance, speed and race craft are all there. But, if he doesn’t have the car underneath him, he cannot win.” Wolff oversaw Mercedes’ crushing dominance which led to Hamilton winning six of his record-equalling seven world crowns. But Wolff’s future as team principal is in the spotlight following Mercedes’ dramatic demise. And although he admitted he intends to stay on as team principal, the 51-year-old, who also holds a one-third shareholding in Mercedes, is plotting his succession plan. “The clear aim is to build a structure for the future and that is my sheer responsibility for the team,” said Wolff, who was absent from the races in Japan and Qatar earlier this season following knee surgery. “A stone could fall on my head and how does it look afterwards? That is why I would like to see myself in a few years maybe not going to 24 races, and just to 15. “But that is many years away. I see myself in this role for a long time. I cannot imagine doing something else. “I really struggled in 2020 to make a decision on whether I wanted to stay active in the sport or to be a shareholder and go back to my finance world. I was tired, mentally and physically, but then I came to the realisation that I wanted to continue. “I feel I am contributing to the team in the crossover world of finance and motor racing, and I have a passion for both, and that is why I continue to do it.” Over at Red Bull, Verstappen has won 17 of the 20 rounds so far – which included a record 10-in-a-row streak – in the most dominant season the sport has ever witnessed. Wolff caused controversy when he poured scorn on Verstappen’s achievements, calling them “irrelevant” and “only for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway”. “It was not an intelligent thing to say,” said Wolff. “There were all these numbers about how many races we had won, and we used to joke that who cares about the numbers? It only goes on Wikipedia, and nobody reads that anyway. It was a joke, but it is much easier to joke about your own records than somebody else’s. “His records are unbelievable and what he has been able to achieve clearly ranks him amongst the greatest drivers in the sport at that young age. I have clarified that with him.” Read More On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid Lando Norris ‘gutted’ to miss out on Brazilian GP pole after McLaren blunder Carlos Sainz leads Ferrari one-two in Brazilian Grand Prix practice

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The setting is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: home to the world-famous Indy 500 race. Ahead of the 2005 United States Grand Prix, at a circuit modified for Formula 1, ITV pundit and former F1 driver Martin Brundle is interviewing the sport’s long-term supremo and commander-in-chief Bernie Ecclestone on the grid. And you may well say, nothing unusual about that. What is more unusual is Brundle’s direct, bordering on combative, line of questioning. A huddle of camera crew and journalists huddle around, eager for answers. Because F1’s only race in the land of the free is about to become a farce. Out of 20 cars, only six take to the start line. For the sport and its tempestuous 55-year relationship with the US, it is the ultimate moment of absurdity. “The future of Formula 1 in America?” asks Brundle. “Not good,” Ecclestone replies. It is a far cry from where the sport is stateside now. Formula 1 is pushing boundaries and breaking the glass ceiling in a manner which would be unambiguously imposing if it wasn’t in the United States. There are now three races, with this week’s grand prix on the Las Vegas strip following on from a highly successful rebirth of the US Grand Prix in Austin and a street track in Miami. After 75 races at 11 different American venues, F1 has finally cracked the American code. “At my kids’ soccer game, you’ll see someone with a Red Bull shirt on,” says Scott Speed, a Californian native who raced in F1 for two years in the 2000s. “It’s been a long time coming but there is a noticeable difference when you see people walk around in F1 apparel. That’s very different to when I was in the sport.” But sometimes to understand the scale of the current highs, you have to revisit the lows of yesteryear. That ludicrous weekend in Indianapolis 18 years ago was, in his own words, a “super huge” weekend for Speed. He was testing for Red Bull at his home race, a week on from his first F1 test in Canada, but his team along with six others would not be racing come Sunday. Fourteen of the cars were using Michelin tyres which had resulted in several tyre failures in practice and qualifying at the final corner, including a heavy shunt for Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher, due to the abrasive nature of the high-speed banked turn. Installing a chicane to reduce speeds was suggested and rejected on the grounds that it would be unfair to the Bridgestone tyre runners – which included Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari team. Unable to take the risk of a serious accident, all Michelin cars did not start the 73-lap race. Schumacher won the six-car race to a chorus of boos in the grandstands. “The penalty if you went off there [turn 13] was just too hot, it was a big shunt,” Speed recalls. “I remember in my meeting with the engineers, they said ‘your tyre was two laps from blowing up as well.’ That was a really surreal feeling and then I had a big feeling of relief. It was very scary knowing I’d have been in the same situation that Ralf [Schumacher] was in.” F1 did race in Indiana again, fulfilling its contract for two more years. But Lewis Hamilton’s win in 2007 was F1’s last venture at a track simply inadequate for both the basics and spectacle of the sport. One of F1’s lowest moments had been the catalyst for a period of nonexistence, with the sport undergoing a four-year period of inactivity across the Atlantic. Brundle closed that Ecclestone episode with one of his most famous lines. Trundling over to speak to the chief’s then-wife Slavica, he asks: “Mrs Ecclestone, this needs a women’s intuition on this don’t you think?” She refuses to comment. “I think you should have something to say,” quips Brundle. “And give him a jolly good slapping.” *** There have been years of ingenuity, dissatisfaction and scandal ever since the United States first hosted a race in Formula 1 in the sport’s inaugural year in 1950. Back then, the Indy 500 was classed as a championship race. In the decades since, Ecclestone and his team of millionaire race-makers had flirted ferociously with the American market – a crowded field of ultra-popular US sports, college competition and their own brand of motorsport with Indy Car and NASCAR. But the first signs of a rebirth after the Indiana farce came just over a decade ago. The composition and creation of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, gave F1 a lifeline in the United States. “They finally got their location right,” Speed tells The Independent. “Austin is a booming demographic, it’s like having a grand prix in New York. You’re in close proximity to a lot of fans and they’ve built a fantastic racetrack. That helps a lot, it’s a really special circuit.” But it was still merely a foothold; hardly the stamp it craved. A proposed race in New York, with the Manhattan skyline and Hudson River in the backdrop, was crafted and discarded. COTA’s attendance of 265,000 at the inaugural race in 2012 dropped consistently to 224,000 by 2015. But Ecclestone’s 40-year stranglehold on the sport was loosening. New suitors showed their hand and Liberty Media – the world’s biggest sports media company – completed an $8billion takeover in January 2017. What followed was a revolutionary revamp of Formula 1, its leaders and, most significantly, its output. Liberty took full control, revitalising the sport’s social media output and relaxing out-of-date restrictions on teams publishing their own content. The immediate target demographic was young people and expanding the audience beyond its traditional European borders. But they still lacked a crown jewel. Enter Netflix and production company Box to Box Films. The US has been ahead of the curve in the department of fly-on-the-wall sports documentaries, with Hard Knocks on HBO and more recently All or Nothing on Amazon Prime proving popular with sports fans stateside. Now, F1 was making their own dive into the arena with Drive to Survive. “Fans have a lot of games to watch live, highlights to see, stories to read – all of that,” says sports media expert Brian Moritz. “But sports fans are typically insatiable in their desire for content, right? There’s never too much. “Going behind the scenes is exciting for fans. And I do think F1 was ahead of the curve in terms of taking a sport that Americans didn’t know or care a ton about and getting them to care. When you haven’t followed a sport your entire life, it can be hard to jump into a sport as an adult. I think Drive to Survive provided an entry point for American fans into the sport.” The growth of the series, year-on-year, has been staggering. Since the show’s first season in 2019, the viewership has increased by more than 350,000. F1’s audience for live races has skyrocketed to above one million per-race. Cards fell favourably too: the Covid pandemic meant more people were stuck at home browsing and streaming online, while the 2021 title battle for the ages between Hamilton and Max Verstappen engaged a wider range of people too. The “Man on Fire” episode in season three – when Romain Grosjean’s car dramatically bursts into flames in Bahrain – is rated the most popular episode, according to IMDB. “F1 has this kind of exotic feel to it,” adds Moritz. “It’s primarily European and with all the money, glitz and glamour… I think that appeals to American viewers. Never underestimate the appeal of fast cars and rich people.” It would be a form of content that became almost a necessity when the professional tennis and golf tours went a similar way earlier this year with their first Netflix shows: Break Point and Full Swing. F1 has shown the path for all sports to draw in more engagement from an American market who, unequivocally, live and breathe for sport – but perhaps absorb the personalities of the stars and the elaborative storylines even more. Never underestimate the appeal of fast cars and rich people.” Drive to Survive’s impact is undeniable. But for Formula 1 and Liberty, there was still more to strive for – and two of the sport’s biggest stars has their sights set on unparalleled glitz and glamour. When asked in Australia in 2017 what their one wish from the sport’s new owners would be, Red Bull’s Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo and Hamilton did not hesitate. “Race in Vegas!” beamed Ricciardo. “Miami, race,” added Hamilton. It was met with laughter among the media assembled. Even the drivers themselves perhaps were speaking more in hope than expectation. But boy how F1 have delivered. Miami was first proposed in 2018 and after tossing and turning over location and logistical plans for a few years, the sport landed on a custom-made street track around the city’s Hard Rock Stadium. It debuted last year and while initial impressions of the circuit and the racing have been mixed at best, it gives F1 a marquee event on the East Coast. And with Austin in the centre of the country now attracting 400,000+ spectators, there was one obvious slot left to fill. *** So to Vegas, where slots are at every turn. F1 has tried and failed in Sin City before, toiling in an ineffective track in the car park of the Caesars Palace hotel for two years in the 1980s. But a race down the iconic Las Vegas Boulevard – the strip – was former F1 CEO Chase Carey’s dream concept when he took over the sport from Ecclestone. Indeed, Carey insisted F1 needed to start arriving in “destination cities.” But while the pandemic delayed plans, it didn’t derail them. F1 has spent $500m on a state-of-the-art pit building, the length of three NFL fields. Cars will zoom around the city’s new $2.3bn MSG Sphere. The sport is expecting to bring in $1.28 billion for the city in year one alone. There has been anger and frustration among locals and tourists in recent months due to construction and road closures but the vision of an unparalleled ambition is now on the cusp of its grand opening. “It will be the biggest race in racing history,” famous American ex-driver Willy T Ribbs said. “The most talked about and the most glamorous. Vegas will be the one which is going to take Formula 1 in this country to a bigger level.” Yet where does F1 in the United States go from here? Like any sport, the spectacle can only do so much when the sport is not at its most enthralling. Verstappen’s two-year supremacy has not aided the product but periods of domination are not uncommon in Formula 1. This weekend’s race for example – in contrast to Saudi Arabia’s debut two years ago – does not have any world title at stake. Other factors can improve F1’s reach in the US further still. A driver capable of challenging at the top, with the only present American driver Logan Sargeant last out of all the current drivers this year, would entrap a significant following. Andretti’s application to join Haas as an American team – decision pending – could have a similar impact. Much like in Brazil, American fans are usually left rooting for seven-time world champion Hamilton, whose ground-breaking impact should not be forgotten as well. Ultimately, the world is their oyster. But more so than a likely upward trajectory, just how far will F1 push in search of further growth in the US? And will it lose its core, its traditionality, in the pursuit of further grandeur? Some may argue that’s already happening. Nonetheless, F1’s expansion in the United States can be decreed as nothing other than a roaring success. The most lucrative sporting market on the planet – in terms of fans and finances – has finally taken to Formula 1. It is now a sport and a product virtually unrecognisable from the shambles of Indiana in 2005. Read More ‘I would not be shocked if King Charles showed up’: Las Vegas opens its doors to F1 F1 2023 season race schedule: When is the Las Vegas Grand Prix? On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion F1 2023 official calendar: All 23 Grand Prix this year Michael Schumacher fans set for rare insight into F1 legend’s life in new documentary

Sebastian Vettel rewrote the record books on this day in 2010 after clinching the Formula One drivers’ championship by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The German’s success in the season-ending finale saw him claim the mantle of the youngest world champion in F1 history. Vettel took the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi for his fifth victory of the year, and with title rival Fernando Alonso a distant seventh in his Ferrari, it allowed the the Red Bull driver to make sure of his place in the record books. At 23 years and 135 days, Vettel beat the mark of Lewis Hamilton – who finished second in Abu Dhabi ahead of McLaren team-mate and outgoing world champion Jenson Button – by 166 days. It guaranteed Vettel the title by four points from Alonso, with Red Bull completing a championship double after winning the constructors’ crown a week previously in Brazil. Vettel was clearly in tears on his slow-down lap as he attempted to speak over the in-car radio, with team principal Christian Horner proclaiming: “Sebastian Vettel you are the world champion!” Vettel would go on to win four successive Formula One world titles before seeing his reign ended by Hamilton in 2014. Read More Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid