FORMULA 1
The $700m gamble that has brought F1 back to Vegas for next decade
After two dreary races in the early Eighties, the dream of a race down the famous Strip has come true thanks to a huge financial outlay from the sport’s owners
The first grand prix in Las Vegas, in 1981, was held around the car park of the Caesars Place hotel
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Formula 1 has finally arrived in Las Vegas, some 41 years since it previously graced Sin City with its presence — but this time it will look very different.
In 1981 and 1982, the grand prix was held around the Caesars Palace hotel car park. The former F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, had hoped this would be the moment that the sport finally cracked America. In both instances, the race was the season finale and title-decider, but the dreary track failed to capture the imagination of the US fans and the Vegas experiment was ended.
Over the following years Ecclestone continued in his attempts to break into the US but the low point came in 2005 when only six cars were on the starting grid at
