November 16, 2023, 08:00
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Belaggio Hotel with famous fountain in Las Vegas
| photo: Formula1.com
Not a single practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix has yet been held, and the reigning world champion has had plenty of criticism for the new event on this year’s calendar. What’s not to love about Max Verstappen?
According to the Dutch pilot, the weekend is not about racing, but entertainment. “99% it’s a show and 1% it’s a sporting event,” he said at a press conference.
He also didn’t like the way the pilots were presented before traditional media activities, where 20 pilots were brought on the platform to greet fans. “As far as I’m concerned, you can skip all this stuff. You just stand there and look like a clown.”
“To be honest I don’t have many feelings. I just want to focus on the performance side. I don’t like all that stuff. I know that’s part of it, but I don’t care.” Verstappen explained his position.
“The track wasn’t exciting and I just wanted to do the best job I could. That’s not a problem, but it’s not my choice. Like it or not, it’s not up to me, but I won’t do it. pretend.” the Red Bull pilot continued honestly.
“I’m just giving my opinion on the positives and negatives, that’s who I am. Some people like the show better, I don’t like it at all. I grew up on the show side, and that’s how I see it. I’m happy in Vegas, but not too happy to race” he says.
The third event in the United States will take place unusually on Saturday, due to the time difference here it will start at 7am on Sunday. F1 management is concerned that if the race is held on a Sunday, people in Europe who go to work on Monday will not watch it live and would rather only play a part of it with the most exciting moments, which would have a negative impact on the race. financial side.
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