F1 News: Las Vegas GP All Set For Insane Celebration For Max Verstappen Championship Win

Saajan Jogia | 5 Hours Ago

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of The Netherlands (1) during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Grand Prix organizers have revealed that grand celebrations will be pre-planned, anticipating the possibility of Max Verstappen clinching the 2024 Drivers' Championship following the race on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

Though Verstappen widened his lead over Lando Norris to 62 points in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, keeping the championship open in theory, his chances of clinching the title during the Las Vegas Grand Prix are high. Verstappen will secure the title automatically if Norris fails to gain at least three more points than him in Las Vegas.

As a result, the organizers are keeping that angle in mind, with Las Vegas GP CEO Renee Wilm stating that they would be able to pre-arrange something in case Verstappen wins the championship in Las Vegas. Motorsport.com reported that discussions have been held between the race organizers and Red Bull about possible plans to celebrate Verstappen’s achievement, should he secure the championship title during the event. Wilm said:

“I'm sure that we would be able to pull some ideas out of our hat, maybe pre-arrange some pretty exciting opportunities.

“When you consider the properties on the Strip - Wynn and Encore are second to none in terms of the highest class of hospitality. Then, of course, you have the Bellagio further down the Strip, with those iconic fountains, and the level of VIP service that the Bellagio offers.

“There are so many opportunities to highlight the drivers, and particularly if we actually do have the benefit of being able to get a champion (crowned).”

Unlike last year, when Verstappen had already secured the world championship before the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, Wilm notes that with the title still up for grabs, a late surge in ticket sales is likely, as fans eagerly anticipate joining celebrities for the event’s second edition. She added:

“Oh, absolutely I think the fact that the championship is still up for grabs is incredibly influential, particularly in the US market.

“I think there's the legacy fans that are oftentimes more focused, maybe on how their team or their driver is performing, whereas in the US, we love to see good competition, and it’s less about who the particular team or driver is.

“So to know that there is still so much on the line and that the championship is going to be up for grabs, and the fact you've had so many different drivers on the podium is itself creating a lot of excitement and buzz.

“I've always said it's the perfect marriage of speed and glamour in Las Vegas, and I'm going to continue to believe that, because you couldn't think of another place in the world - putting aside Monaco - where you could have this level of hospitality and bring in this calibre of celebrities to enjoy everything that Las Vegas has to offer.

“We could not be happier with the turnout we had last year from our celebrity fans, and we're very excited about everyone heading out this year as well. We obviously have our red carpet.

“It was absolutely packed last year, and we're looking forward to welcoming back many of those celebrities, as well as some new ones as well, who are really excited about heading out to Vegas.”