Monaco like UCL, Las Vegas like National League – Verstappen،
LAS VEGAS — Max Verstappen accused Formula 1’s all-new Las Vegas Grand Prix of lacking emotion and passion, and said the circuit doesn’t even come close to matching the sport’s most famous venue, Monaco.
Las Vegas will host its first Grand Prix in 40 years on Saturday night, when all 20 F1 drivers compete on a 3.6-mile street circuit that runs along the city’s famous Strip.
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The event got off to a choppy start on Thursday when the opening practice session was called off after eight minutes due to a loose water valve cover that damaged Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
The second practice session was delayed until 2:30 a.m. to remedy the problem, by which time fans had been asked to leave as circuit security personnel had finished their shift.
Verstappen has been skeptical of the event since arriving at the track on Wednesday, when he called the event 99% spectacle and 1% sport and said he felt like “a clown” during a sumptuous opening ceremony.
After qualifying second on the grid for Saturday’s race, he was asked to compare the feeling of driving on the new circuit with his experience in Monaco.
“I think Monaco is like the Champions League and this one is like the National League,” he said.
The National League is the fifth tier of English club football.
Verstappen criticized the event, where a three-day ticket costs an average of $1,667.
He said too much emphasis had been placed on the concerts and entertainment surrounding the event and not enough had been devoted to getting fans involved in the action on the track.
“I understand that maybe the fans also need something to do around a track, but I think it’s more important that you make them understand what we do as a sport,” Verstappen said . “Most of them just come to have a party, have a drink, see a DJ play or a show – I mean, I can do that anywhere in the world, I can go to Ibiza and get completely fucked, You know. ?
“But that’s how it happens, they come and become fans of what? They come see their favorite artist and have a few drinks with their friends and have a crazy night, but they don’t really understand what we do and what we put at stake to achieve.
“I think if you actually spent more time on the sport itself and what we’re really trying to accomplish here… Because as a little kid, we [drivers] grew up to become a world champion. If sports put more emphasis on these kinds of things and also on what a team does, what they achieve and what they work for, then these kinds of things would be much more important to watch than having all these random shows. at the place.
“It’s not what excites me and I like the passion and the emotion in these kinds of places. I like Vegas, but not driving an F1 car. I like to go out, have a few drinks, go all out red, being crazy, eating well… But like I said, the emotion and passion are not there compared to the old-school songs.”
