Vegas F1 Tickets; Ouch

Keith Tanner said:

I might go to Vegas on F1 weekend just for the mayhem and see if I can make contact with any of my acquaintances that are still in the circus. Probably watch the race on TV, though :)

I live in the area and have only been to one F1 race.  My son and I went in 2013 (the second year).  Friday, we got seats in the grandstands the night before for like $10/each.  Saturday, we got grandstand seats near turn 4 for like $25/each.  Sunday, we had GA seats.  While it was cool to go and awesome to see the race in person, I realized I spent most of the race watching the huge jumbotrons around the track.  We were parked on the hill under the bridge at turn 16 so we could see them come down the back straight and wind through 12-15 and then on through 18, but it was a lot of waiting and then like 10 seconds of racing.  Even in the grandstands, we weren't able to see much. 

I could check it off my bucket list and might go back someday, but found I actually enjoy the race more from home because I could see the action rather than missing most of the racing.  Even that race, I came home and watched it because we had missed so much.

Odd to hear about parking this year.  It wasn't bad in 2013 (a bit of a bus ride, but was pretty quick) and I heard this year's race was even better even though it was so well attended. 

I kinda feel like attending the race is more for the spectacle of the whole thing and not really the racing.  Unless you're one of the lucky few with fantastic seats and access to the paddock.  Tracks are just too spread out to be able to watch more than like 20% of the race at a time.  Not that I'm saying they need to change it, just accepting it's a different thing. 

-Rob

I've heard hotel prices are ridiculous for that weekend.  Someone said hotels near the track were like $5k a night.  I just went and checked for fun.  When my son and I would attend the SKUSA nationals, the race was in the parking lot of the Rio hotel.  The Rio is off strip and while it was the "host" hotel, we found out that the Gold Coast right across the street was MUCH cheaper.  I'm talking $189/night at the Rio v. like $50/night at the Gold Coast. 

So, I decided to check the Gold Coast for the F1 weekend.......   $675/night!!  OOOOOFFF.....  I mean, it's technically closer than say, Mandalay Bay, but it's a trip across the freeway.....

-Rob

I've been to one F1 race as the guest of a major OEM and we had severely swanky accommodations and at the risk of sounding jaded I'd have rather spent an extra few hours getting to drive the car we were in town to preview more. But I think the main this I realized was that the at-track experience of F1 is 100% NOT about race fans or people who really care about motorsport in any particular way. It's a party, and there happens to be a race going on. You'll have a better viewing experience at home or at a sports bar with big screens than you ever will at any track I've ever been to that hosts F1.

That doesn't mean there isn't something for actual race fans at high-end live events. I'd absolutely recommend the Rolex 24 as in in-person experience, as well as the Nurburgring 24. Probably Sebring and Petit, too. But the in-person F1 fan experience left me rather underwhelmed, and that was even considering I has access to free shrimp the size of bananas. 

Yeah, pretty much all races are better on TV if you want to follow the actual race. It's more about the experience. I don't go to party, and if you're one of the plebes instead of someone invited into a hospitality suite it's not even that much of a party. So unless I can get into the paddock again there's not much reason to attend another F1 race in person. 

FYI, when we went to COTA we parked at one of the farms near the track. It was right across the street from official parking and helichopter landing. 

JG Pasterjak said:

shrimp the size of bananas. 

Aren't those called lobsters?

triumph7 said:

JG Pasterjak said:

shrimp the size of bananas. 

Aren't those called lobsters?

No, I think they're just called mini bananas.

I believe the fun of a racevweekend is to hit the track for the practices and support races on Friday and Saturday, then sit in the hotel bar watching the race on TV.

The sounds and smells and ridiculous physics defying action needs to be felt, heard, seen,  tasted, smelled, but the track is a E36 M3ty place to watch a race.

Too many people.

In reply to rob_lewis :

I find the price gouging obscene but such is the market.

In reply to tarach :

This tarach poster seems suspicious. Why bump an old thread like this one?

Slippery said:

In reply to tarach :

This tarach poster seems suspicious. Why bump an old thread like this one?

The information I shared is still useful to anyone going to attend the race. Since this thread was still open so I shared it here. Don't worry, I am a real user and not a bot :)