Las Vegas Grand Prix

Piquet clinched the title in fifth place, barely conscious in the Nevada heat.

The first Caesars Palace Grand Prix took place on 17 October 1981, run on a temporary circuit laid out in the casino's car park. Alan Jones won the race for Williams, but the real drama belonged to Nelson Piquet, who finished fifth and clinched the Drivers' Championship despite nearly passing out from heat exhaustion. The anti-clockwise layout, flat and featureless under the Nevada sun, was not universally loved by drivers. But it served its purpose: Las Vegas had a world championship race.

Fifth place was enough; Rosberg claimed the title in a season already defined by tragedy.

The second and final F1 race at Caesars Palace was held on 25 September 1982, moved from its October slot to serve as the season finale. Michele Alboreto won for Tyrrell, but the championship story again overshadowed the race itself. Keke Rosberg, finishing fifth for Williams, secured the Drivers' Championship in one of the most dramatic seasons in F1 history, a year scarred by the deaths of Gilles Villeneuve and Riccardo Paletti.

Las Vegas waited 41 years for Formula 1's return; a car park was never going to hold the sport's attention for long.

After F1's departure, the Caesars Palace circuit hosted CART IndyCar races in 1983 and 1984 before closing for good. The car park track had never captured the imagination of drivers or fans in the way the sport's European heartlands did. Las Vegas would wait 41 years for Formula 1 to return, though the city continued to host other motorsport races, including NASCAR and IndyCar races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Six kilometres of neon, fountains, and replica landmarks; Liberty Media built a circuit worthy of the city itself.

On 30 March 2022, Formula 1 confirmed a new Las Vegas Grand Prix, set to debut in November 2023. This was no car park affair. Liberty Media, F1's owners, invested heavily in a purpose-built 6.201-kilometre street circuit running directly along the Las Vegas Strip, past the Bellagio fountains, beneath the replica Eiffel Tower, and through the neon canyon of the city's most famous boulevard. Construction broke ground in March 2022, with the race scheduled as a Saturday night experience to maximise the spectacle.

Near-freezing tarmac, a manhole cover casualty, and Verstappen still cruising to victory under the Vegas floodlights.

The first Las Vegas Grand Prix of the modern era took place on 18 November 2023, with a 10pm start time under floodlights. Max Verstappen, already crowned 2023 World Champion, won from Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez. The weekend was not without teething problems: a loose drain cover damaged Carlos Sainz's Ferrari during the first practice session, delaying proceedings. But the race itself delivered genuine overtaking and drama, with near-freezing track temperatures adding an unpredictable edge.

Verstappen's fifth-place finish in Las Vegas secured a fourth straight title, making the circuit a twice-used backdrop for championship deciders, recalling Caesars Palace in 1981 and 1982.

The second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 23 November 2024 proved the race was no one-off novelty. George Russell took victory for Mercedes, but the headline belonged to Max Verstappen, who finished fifth and sealed his fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship. Las Vegas had once again provided the stage for a title decider, echoing the Caesars Palace races of 1981 and 1982. The weekend's second year saw smoother operations and growing acceptance from fans and drivers alike.

Las Vegas now sits beside Monaco and Singapore; the Strip has earned its place amongst F1's finest street races.

The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix is confirmed on the F1 calendar, with the race continuing its late-November slot as a night race on the Strip. The circuit remains unchanged at 6.201 kilometres and 17 turns. With a long-term deal in place, Las Vegas has cemented its position as one of F1's flagship occasions, sitting alongside Monaco and Singapore as the sport's premier street circuit spectacles.