LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas is fast approaching. Race weekend is coming up in two weeks and our valley is preparing for Formula 1 to take over the Strip.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the first GP last year and the stakes are high for the race’s second go-around. While lane closures and traffic led to frustration among many residents ahead of the first race, Formula 1 and most motor racing fans considered the 2023 GP a huge success.

Sports reporter Nick Walters sat down with Silvia Bellot, Las Vegas Grand Prix vice president of racing and sports, to discuss what she and the Las Vegas Grand Prix team learned from the premiere year.

“The first thing we learned was how to put on a race as incredible as the one we experienced,” Bellot said. “People think it’s easy to organize a race like this. Most races on the F1 calendar are based on already established circuits. The ones that exist are not based in the city center like the city circuit of Las Vegas. Closing Las Vegas Boulevard, one of the busiest streets in the world, was a challenge in itself.”

“We learned a lot from the first year,” Bellot continued. “We are rolling them out in the second year at different levels on the track side as well as to our fans. New paid options and also on the build process. We are making things a lot smoother this year. Hopefully that people here in Las Vegas I can see that.”

Bellot says hosting a night race and turning a busy street into a racetrack wouldn’t be possible anywhere other than Las Vegas.

“I tell everyone when I talk about our racetrack that this couldn’t happen anywhere other than Las Vegas. We have some of the best companies that can do this construction process. We also have the best entertainment in the world”, in terms of shows, music, but also sports at the moment and all of this can happen in Las Vegas. »

You can go to KTNV.com/F1parties for more information on fan events during the race weekend.