Las Vegas native Kaitlin attended the inaugural version of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. She shares her expertise and suggestions for F1 followers contemplating going to the race.
Most Method 1 followers don’t get the chance to attend a couple of grand prix in a yr, not to mention to attend a model new race in a metropolis like Las Vegas. The truth that this was an evening race on a correct road circuit constructed expectations to an all-time excessive. Personally, this race was extraordinarily particular to me – not solely as a Method 1 fan, however as a Las Vegas native. The flexibility to attend my ‘dwelling race’ with my crew, pals, and household was really a particular expertise.
My crew at FanAmp partnered with Ellis Island Lodge & On line casino to assist seize the very first Las Vegas Grand Prix expertise. After attending each the enduring Canadian GP in Montreal and the US Grand Prix at COTA this yr, we had been excited to expertise one thing model new, glamorous, and ‘hopefully’ action-packed.
Arriving in Las Vegas
I made a decision to fly out to Las Vegas on the Monday of race week, and because it seems so did a lot of the groups. I wished to spend a while at dwelling, try the monitor structure, and hit the pop-ups and experiences earlier than the crowds arrived. Fortunately, the entire points of interest and reveals within the airport had been already there, able to welcome the crowds to Las Vegas.
Whereas transportation for me concerned my mother and father selecting me up, there are lots of methods to get to numerous accommodations from the airport. It is extremely straightforward to seize an Uber and away from peak instances, it ought to solely be a 15 minute drive to the Strip. Nevertheless, pals who arrived later within the week as soon as the ‘monitor was sizzling’ opted to schedule shuttle vans for about $50 spherical journey to keep away from surge pricing.
Flip 4 at Ellis Island – Behind the Scenes
After touchdown and getting settled in at dwelling on Monday, the crew at Ellis Island Lodge & On line casino invited us to take a look at their set-up, get an early view of the monitor, and interview a few of their key crew members. Though I used to be born and raised in Las Vegas, I’ve by no means been to Ellis Island earlier than, and was very excited to take a look at one of many few remaining family-owned casinos in Las Vegas.
It was extraordinarily straightforward to achieve Ellis Island from East Flamingo Street though it did take me one loop across the block to find the flip onto Koval given all of the roadwork. There’s a pedestrian bridge alongside the one entrance to Ellis Island, so you should cross underneath it to achieve the property. This route was open all weekend and accessible in case you had persistence to attend in visitors, however solely to Ellis Island visitors. Upon arrival I used to be completely in awe; I had formally pushed on an F1 monitor for the primary time, and Ellis Island itself was within the good location alongside the straight.
As soon as we parked the automobile of their very giant parking zone, we got a tour of the property. Ellis Island consists of two buildings – one which homes the on line casino and one with lodge rooms. For the Flip 4 Expertise, there was an commentary deck in entrance of the on line casino part, subsequent to The Entrance Yard Beer Backyard (for many who bought Beer Backyard tickets) and the grandstands positioned in entrance of the lodge room part (for many who bought Grandstand Tickets).
We had been invited to tour each the grandstands and the remodeled Entrance Yard Beer Backyard by Matthew Maynard, Ellis Island’s Advertising Director, and had been completely blown away. The beer backyard supplied an open-air really feel in addition to a cushty (and heat) atmosphere to observe the race. With a number of seating choices, TVs hanging on each wall, and restrooms simply steps away I used to be very excited to have the ability to watch elements of the race weekend indoors (stunning, I do know). Not solely that, however the commentary deck that the beer backyard ticket holders had entry to was instantly subsequent the monitor, with an ideal view of the primary DRS zone.
Friday’s Free Apply & Qualifying
Simply subsequent door to the Beer Backyard Commentary Deck had been two Grandstands that stretched from the doorway of Ellis Island to the exit of Flip 4. I had initially determined that I wished to observe the race from inside the nice and cozy Entrance Yard Beer Backyard, however after seeing the view from the grandstands… my thoughts was in a short time swayed. As you’ll be able to see within the picture above, they even turned the Ellis Island marquee right into a race viewing station to maintain up with the on-track motion when the automobiles weren’t popping out of Flip 4. Moreover, behind the grandstands the crew was starting to arrange the Flip 4 Grandstand ‘village’ that included food and drinks stations, sponsor occasions, TVs and a DJ sales space.
Getting Round Vegas on Race Weekend
Certainly one of my largest complaints all through the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend was the problem touring across the metropolis, particularly close to the Strip. Whereas it was SO cool to have the ability to drive the monitor (and secretly faux that I used to be within the RB19), the visitors, and detours had been NO JOKE. From Monday to Wednesday, the most important subject was visitors on account of last-minute building on the monitor, however it was nothing that 10-Quarter-hour added on to your ETA couldn’t repair.
Nevertheless, as soon as Thursday by means of Sunday rolled round, the chaos started. It was marketed that the monitor was ‘open’ to drive on from 4am-5pm day by day, however these instances assorted and infrequently you’ll attempt to get off the monitor at 4:45pm to seek out it already closed and routes fully shut down. Throughout this time, calling an Uber on the Strip was practically inconceivable, with 20-30 minute wait instances all night and intensely inflated costs.
Fortunately, for a lot of Las Vegas GP attendees, the monorail is an possibility that connects many Las Vegas Casinos on the Strip. Moreover, strolling paths had been obtainable. The strolling paths, nonetheless, had been very poorly laid out with little signage. I acquired misplaced within the Venetian On line casino at one level for Quarter-hour as a result of I used to be misdirected by employees. The Las Vegas GP app did supply a really effectively laid out map and instructions characteristic, however even that wasn’t useful for locating the right route when you had been inside a on line casino.
Wednesday – Opening Ceremony
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is extraordinarily distinctive for extra causes than its iconic location – there was even a gap ceremony for the occasion on Wednesday, the day earlier than the automobiles hit the monitor for the primary time. In Las Vegas, every a part of the monitor is damaged up into zones – which means you’ll be able to solely entry the zone that corresponds to your ticket. For the Opening Ceremony, individuals who had tickets within the East Harmon Zone (together with the Predominant Grandstand and varied hospitality areas) had entry to the present together with free meals catered by Wolfgang Puck and soft-drinks. The Paddock Membership was additionally open.
My pals and I had been fortunate sufficient to attain tickets to observe from the best aspect of the Predominant Grandstand for about $100 every on Wednesday morning. There was a chosen Uber drop-off zone close to this finish of the monitor and paddock. Whereas the Uber journey was seamless, the stroll to the monitor was very complicated. The route had hundreds of followers strolling by means of the Virgin Lodge and backtracking to stroll down the street to the doorway of our zone, which added on a great 15-20 minutes of journey time.
The East Harmon Zone itself was harking back to a music competition with activations, large food and drinks stations, F1 artwork installations, and even a large most important stage. The present itself… ‘made for TV’ is how I’d describe it. The performances had been rushed, the sound system wasn’t working correctly for a lot of the present, and the entire thing solely lasted for about half-hour. If I had been to recommend something to a race-goer in Las Vegas for future years it might be to avoid wasting your cash and watch the fireworks and drone present out of your lodge room.
Thursday – Free Apply
On Thursday, the FanAmp crew arrived vivid and early (which on Vegas race weekend is 5pm) to the Flip 4 at Ellis Island Expertise able to interview excited followers, attempt the meals, and watch each Free Apply 1 and Free Apply 2… If you already know something in regards to the Inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, nonetheless, you already know that didn’t go in keeping with plan. BUT, earlier than we discuss in regards to the catastrophe that was Free Apply day – let’s speak about Ellis Island!
The strains for safety weren’t lengthy in any respect and the crew was thorough. Ellis Island opted to implement the usual small bag or bigger clear bag coverage. That is commonplace safety apply in Las Vegas and the crew was thorough, however sort and fast when checking luggage. Our crew headed straight to the Beer Backyard to take a look at the completed area and seize some meals. Not solely was the area the PERFECT ambiance to observe some evening racing, the meals unfold completely surpassed our expectations. There was a large dessert desk within the heart of the room, the kitchen had a buffet type most important dish set-up with cooks carving salmon and brisket. Wait employees additionally circled the room with trays of assorted snacks together with mac n’cheese, fried pickles, hummus and pita, and rooster tenders. Every desk additionally had a full menu of drinks (together with FREE Flip 4 Lagers) and meals. To say we had been blown away by the service and high quality of meals was an understatement.
After we stuffed our faces, we headed as much as see the commentary deck. Since Monday night, that they had put in TVs with reside race protection and audio system so the Beer Backyard visitors might keep up-to-date on the race, even when exterior on the deck.
About an hour earlier than Free Apply 1 started, we began our ‘work’ (it was very enjoyable and I wouldn’t classify any a part of this expertise as work) interviewing excited followers! Together with our content material creator companions Neha and Josh, we requested followers about their experiences up to now, why the Flip 4 Expertise at Ellis Island, and what they had been trying ahead to for the weekend. One unifying reply: The meals and repair had been impeccable on Day 1.
As soon as Free Apply 1 started, we watched from the best aspect of the Predominant Grandstand. Whereas each grandstands had been extraordinarily lengthy, they had been solely 10 rows excessive and each seat had an unobstructed view. AND… everyone knows what occurred subsequent… however even with the catastrophe of Free Apply 1, the Ellis Island crew stored the get together going and race-goers entertained till they ventured dwelling (or walked a couple of steps to their lodge rooms).
Friday – Free Apply 3 & Qualifying
The crew returned for Day 2 with excessive hopes that Free Apply 3 and Qualifying would go off and not using a hitch. [Spoiler alert: they did!]
We arrived at Ellis Island round 7:30 PM. Because the roads had been already closed by this stage, we needed to be dropped off on Flamingo Street at a chosen Uber drop-off location. Nevertheless, this was a straight path to Ellis Island and solely took 5-10 minutes to stroll. Once more, the safety crew was very environment friendly funneling the MUCH bigger crowd into the Grandstands and Beer Backyard.
But once more, our crew began off the night interviewing much more followers attending the Flip 4 Expertise at Ellis Island. Though a lot of them lamented the poor racing expertise from the day before today, practically everybody adopted up that assertion by praising how effectively Ellis dealt with the scenario.
As Free Apply 3 started, it grew to become very obvious that there was a MUCH bigger turnout (as anticipated) on Friday. The Entrance Yard Beer Backyard had much more (nonetheless scrumptious) meals, a reside DJ and extra decor. Exterior within the grandstands, the on-track motion was streaming not solely on the Ellis Island marquee, but additionally on TVs all through the small village adjoining to the bar and meals space.
Watching Free Apply and Qualifying from the ‘proper’ grandstand within the 2nd row really had us feeling as if we had been on the monitor. Though I’ve attended 3 Grand Prix weekends by now, I’ve by no means been this near the motion whereas nonetheless effectively fed and comfy. There isn’t a lot to report about Friday as a result of the expertise was completely seamless with nice vitality, nice meals, nice firm, and a Charles Leclerc Pole to prime all of it off! After qualifying ended at 1:00 AM, we made the quick stroll again to the Uber zone and had been dwelling by 1:30 AM!
Saturday – Race Day
Someway our expertise managed to get even higher as soon as race day rolled round. Though I needed to study in regards to the winding and LONG path to get from Treasure Island to Ellis Island (which took about 20 minutes strolling at a New Yorker’s tempo), this will likely have been my favourite race to observe reside.
The Flip 4 Expertise at Ellis Island was fully bought out of tickets on Saturday and it was visually obvious…however you by no means needed to wait in strains for meals, drinks or the bathroom. Kudos to the group of the Ellis Island crew.. There was nonetheless loads of room to maneuver freely within the Beer Backyard, on the Commentary Deck, and the ‘village’ behind the grandstands. The followers had been excited and pleasant, which was obvious within the pre-race interviews we captured. We even grabbed a desk and a few meals (the salmon that I nonetheless dream about) to observe the pre-show festivities. Even with hundreds of patrons, the Ellis Island employees had been extraordinarily pleasant and accommodating, which isn’t at all times the case for giant occasions.
We selected to observe the race from the grandstands within the entrance row. Not solely did the left-side grandstand have a view of Flip 4, however the right-side grandstand sat instantly on the DRS start line. This made for the PERFECT location to observe race motion. We had been even shut sufficient to very CLEARLY see Max Verstappen’s entrance wing and aspect pod injury with the bare eye.
Staying at Ellis Island – Josh’s Perspective
In the course of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, one in every of our FanAmp crew members, Josh (@BaristaJoshF1) stayed at Ellis Island Lodge & On line casino on premise. Here’s what he needed to say in regards to the room:
“Checkin and parking had been each very straightforward and accessible. It was extraordinarily handy to park my automobile and never need to lug my baggage round a large on line casino property to seek out my room. The room itself was easy however ‘effectively achieved’ with primary however larger finish facilities. The mattress was snug, the TV was a great measurement and labored effectively, the whole lot was clear, there was a big fridge. There have been additionally loads of meals choices within the lodge itself together with quite a few eating places. In case you didn’t wish to eat on the property, there have been a number of eating places that had been inside 10 minutes strolling distance, in addition to an in depth monorail cease to get onto the Strip.”
One factor that Josh additionally identified was that through the 2nd Free Apply that no spectators might watch, he might HEAR the automobiles very clearly driving previous whereas streaming. Whereas this expertise isn’t for everybody, it’s undoubtedly one thing that race followers like Josh loved.
Examine room costs at Ellis Island Lodge & On line casino
Abstract & Suggestions
The Las Vegas Grand Prix and the Flip 4 at Ellis Island Expertise made this journey to Vegas probably the most particular ones that I’ve taken since I moved away. The monitor certainly does make for an especially thrilling race to observe. You will be positive the FanAmp crew will see you there for years to come back!
Heading to the race? Listed here are our prime suggestions:
Deliver a JACKET. It didn’t transform that chilly, however it was chilly sufficient at instances the place you would like you’d had one
The Flip 4 Expertise at Ellis Island is among the greatest Las Vegas GP offers when it comes to location, high quality, meals/beverage, and ambiance
In case you’re going to put money into tickets contained in the official F1 seating areas, do your analysis – the tickets are VERY costly it doesn’t matter what part you’re in and value doesn’t at all times translate to raised views, meals, or facilities
Touring round Vegas is DIFFICULT on race weekend. Map your route and add a 20 minute buffer. In case you’re utilizing rideshare, follow the highways on the outer perimeter
Get your magnificence sleep. The classes are all late, so prioritize sleep when you’ll be able to
Sit alongside the straights. They might be lengthy, however we noticed how a lot motion they delivered.
