How Andretti’s involvement could elevate the Las Vegas F1 experience

Las Vegas has launched itself onto the scene with the aim of becoming one of the key Formula 1 weekends of the next decade and a big earner for the sport. A revenue of $500 million is expected in this first year with more to come in the future, generated by rising F1 passion in the USA combined with the unique mix of entertainment the city presents: from gambling to dining out, from concerts to one-offs such as the opportunity to buy a Lewis Hamilton Mercedes F1 car at auction. It all adds to the thrill and cash outlay.

It seems like a different world from the last time F1 raced in Las Vegas, when the crowd size of around 30,000 was pitiful despite the fact that a superstar American was back on the grid. Mario Andretti was standing in for the injured Didier Pironi at Ferrari in the last two races in 1982 and, having taken pole position at the penultimate round on Ferrari home territory in Monza, might have expected a huge turnout of fans at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas – especially since the constructors’ and drivers’ titles were still live.

Instead, the hotel car park-based track did little to tempt people either within the cars or watching from outside. With tight hairpins and constant turns that were gruelling on the neck, it was a venue first used in 1981 – Carlos Reutemann lost the championship by just one point there, dropping inexplicably from pole position to finish a lowly eighth. Nelson Piquet was the man who stepped up by grabbing fifth to earn vital points and the title.

PLUS: The story of the hotel car park that hosted F1's first two trips to Vegas

When 1978 champion Mario Andretti was contesting what would prove to be his last ever GP some 11 months later, he was under pressure as Ferrari needed to stay ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ battle. He worked hard at it, outqualifying key rivals John Watson and Niki Lauda even though all of them were a bit further down the grid than they would have hoped.

In the race Andretti jumped ahead of Keke Rosberg, the man who was playing safe with the drivers’ title within reach, and he was running in a solid fifth place until a rare Ferrari suspension failure ended his F1 campaign. But a non-finish for Lauda meant Ferrari retained the advantage to claim the constructors’ trophy for the fifth time in eight years, while Rosberg’s calm fifth-place finish on the road secured the first of his family’s pair of world titles, followed up by his son Nico in 2016.

Mario’s son Michael did not manage to repeat his father’s glory in F1 as a driver in 1993, but he has reconnected the Andretti name with F1 in recent months. Of the seven organisations that pitched to become an 11th team in F1, it was only Andretti Formula Racing that got approval from the governing body to continue the bid to the next stage of the process.

Photo by: Motorsport Images

F1 was met with an apathetic response to the underwhelming Caesars Palace car park layout despite Mario Andretti's presence on the grid with Ferrari in 1982

That is surely a buzz for many of the fans attending Las Vegas with the prospect of an American team connected to a US manufacturer in the form of Cadillac and General Motors playing a part in the show in a couple of years, yet despite GM's application this week to become a powertrain manufacturer from 2028 there are no guarantees so far.

That initial process was tough enough; the historic connection with grand prix racing had very little to do with the approval which was deeply analysed in technical and financial ways. The next step is to make a deal with F1’s commercial rights holder to become a team alongside the established line-up, and there are objections being expressed
both privately and publicly from those other teams.

F1 might have
hit the jackpot recently but not everyone is willing to share. When Keke Rosberg won
the title in 1982 he was driving for Williams,
a group which has changed in ownership
and is trying to update itself, and which is unhappy about having another entrant
added to the list. Current team principal James Vowles expressed his opposition some weeks ago: “My thoughts are very clear. Williams is against the addition of an 11th team and very strongly against.”

For the future of Las Vegas, just imagine the extra boost an Andretti team could bring

The main objection is about finances and how an extra team could deplete earnings for those that already exist. Yet it feels strange that a world championship, growing in quantity and quality and drawing in huge numbers of spectators to areas that in the past have shown very little interest, would not be able to gain from additional entries, more drivers, and more unpredictability in the races.

Fundamentally it is all about making deals that settle the discordancy and ensuring that a new organisation will be able to perform at the level required. But for the future of Las Vegas, just imagine the extra boost an Andretti team could bring.

This is a location where legendary music artists from all over the world bring crowds flocking to their high-profile residencies, one recent example being Kylie Minogue. Her songs such as On A Night Like this and Spinning Around will be the perfect backdrop for the event while Andretti’s dogfight to join F1 could be suitably themed by her US chart-topper Get Outta My Way…

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Michael Andretti's team won the Formula E title this year, and would surely add more interest to the Vegas F1 event