Formula 1 ‘Hunger Games’ begin as ‘Tributes’ meet fans in spectacular Las Vegas Grand Prix opening ceremony
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was always going to be a spectacle.
The penultimate race of the Formula One season kicked off in spectacular style with an opening ceremony that featured Kylie Minogue.
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Things all went a bit Hunger Games too…
The drivers were revealed to the crowd via lifts onto a series of podiums, very much like the ‘Tributes’ in the hit book and film series.
All that was missing was President Snow saying: “May the odds be ever in your favour.â€
There was also a spectacular drone show as the first race in Sin City for 41 years officially opened.
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The £2billion Las Vegas sphere was also utilised too to show images of all the drivers as the drama and excitement ramped up.
The new street circuit includes a $500m pit building, but not everyone has been a fan.
F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who has already secured the title, has been critical of the track and was not a fan of the ostentatiousness of the show in Vegas.
“I don’t like all the things around it,†said the Red Bull driver. “I’m looking forward to trying to do the best I can but I’m not looking forward to this.
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“For me you can skip these kind of things. It’s just standing up there, you look like a clown.
“I fully understand and you can look at it two ways, business side or sport side. So, of course, I understand their side of it.
“I’m just voicing my opinion on the performance side of things.â€
However, responding to criticism, Hamilton said: "I hear there are a lot of people complaining about the direction that (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) and Liberty has gone. But they are doing an amazing job.
"The sport continues to grow. It is a business and you will still see good racing here. It is a country to tap into and really captivate the audience.
"We needed to have at least two races in the US, one wasn't enough, and this is one of the most iconic and unique cities that they have here.
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"It is a big show for sure, and it is never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, the people in this community will grow to love the sport.
"Maybe the track will be good, and maybe it will be bad. It was so-so on the simulator. But don't knock it until you try it."
The debut race on the strip, which starts at 10pm local time, comes after three consecutive rounds in Austin, Mexico and Brazil and ahead of next weekend's concluding race in Abu Dhabi - a weary time swing of 12 hours.
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