Mercedes bans F1 teams from Las Vegas casinos, Aston Martin may follow suit
Formula One's high-profile return to Sin City kicks off this week with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on Saturday night. Some fleets have taken steps to keep drivers and staff focused on the task at hand.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said in a recent interview that he banned team members from enjoying Las Vegas' notorious nightlife, including the city's numerous casinos.
I've never been to Las Vegas," Wolfe said in the interview."But we're going to keep everybody away from the casinos. I don't play, so I'll make sure no one does. "
It's unclear whether "everyone" includes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who drove the No. 44 and No. 63 cars respectively. Aston Martin is another team that could follow Mercedes' lead in enforcing a casino ban in Las Vegas.
"There will be a lot of disruption," Aston Martin boss Mike Clark admitted. “It’s important to focus at the right moment.”
Casinos are probably the least of Formula 1’s worries
While the Las Vegas Grand Prix generated a lot of buzz, there were a few missteps along the way.
Specifically, the game is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. PST was created to accommodate the large number of European fans of the series. This has heightened concerns that the Pirelli-made tires used by F1 teams may not be able to cope with cold temperatures. The temperature is expected to be 52 degrees on game night. Pirelli's Mario Isola expects driver complaints about the tires but said the manufacturer cannot produce specific tires for Las Vegas and will address driver complaints.
However, this may raise competition concerns. A few weeks ago, Dutchman Max Verstappen won the 2023 F1 Championship, his third consecutive title. Since the title is decided before Formula 1 arrives in Las Vegas, there are rumors that fans may not be willing to pay big bucks to watch a race in a hotel room on the Strip that has nothing to do with the championship the match of.
While there has been much speculation about falling room rates and lower fares, analysts believe the former will mainly affect low- and mid-priced hotels. High-end lodging on the Las Vegas Strip was reportedly fully booked, with record amounts of casino points being paid out to arriving guests ahead of the game.
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There's no denying that Las Vegas offers more than enough "distraction" compared to other major U.S. cities. But the city isn't the only one with a venue in the F1 program.
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious events in the series' history, while the Singapore Grand Prix is held near two of Asia Pacific's top casino resorts, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. It is unclear whether casino bans will be enforced when F1 teams visit these jurisdictions.
The Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights also play 41 home games a year, and there is little evidence that the NHL team prohibits its employees from visiting casinos when visiting Sin City.
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Source: www.casino.org
