After more than 40 years, racing made its return to Las Vegas and in true Vegas style, it was a spectacle on and off the track. The Las Vegas Grand Prix, which forms part of the Formula One World Championship, took place on Saturday with celebs gathering to watch some of the top racers in the world on a specially-designed track, which included parts of the Las Vegas strip.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky joined the Ferrari team where they wore headphones to hear the drivers communication with their teams. Justin Bieber had the honor of waving the checkered lap for the final lap of the race, which was won by Max Verstappen of Team Red Bull.
Other A-listers in attendance included Anthony Mackie, Steve Aoki, Chad Ochocinco, Axl Rose, Brad Pitt, Paris Hilton, David Beckham, Wayne Newton, Heidi Klum, Donny Osmond, Shaquille O’Neal, Cara Delevingne, and Patrick Dempsey, and more.
And even though Tom Brady, an avid racing fan, could not be there in person, he Facetimed some words of encouragement to Logan Sargeant, a rookie driver for Williams Racing.
The last Formula One race, the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, was held in Las Vegas in 1982 while the last street race held in the city since was the Vegas Grand Prix Champ Car in 2007. The race came with a great deal of controversy including construction costs and delays and interruptions to other Las Vegas businesses and residents. In addition to reports that fans also tore down view-blocking screens to get a glimpse of the race, others who actually purchased tickets are also upset that they did not get their money’s worth. The race has already been hit with a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the 35,000 people who bought tickets for Thursday’s practice session that was cancelled when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was damaged by a loose drain cover.
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