LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix feature event is now just a month away, and race organizers and fans are starting to get excited.
"Everyone in the [Formula One] world — the teams, the drivers — are so excited about coming here to Las Vegas," says Silvia Bellot, a spokeswoman for F1 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The F1 circuit started in 1950, with the first-ever race happening at an Air Force base in the United Kingdom.
Traditionally, the sport has been popular in Europe, South America and Australia. Still, it has been picking up steam in the United States, where the National Football League rules the sporting landscape.
"People know what the Super Bowl is, and they know how to do Super Bowl Sunday," says Pilar Harris, a government relations official with F1. "When it comes to race week, there's a little bit of a learning curve [in the U.S.]."
During the big race, cars will zip around the Las Vegas Strip with powerful engines of about 15,000 RPMs. The engine for the average car on the highway only makes about 1,500 revolutions per minute.
Bellot says F1 cars in Las Vegas will go up 212 miles per hour.
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With the Las Vegas Grand Prix expected to be a yearly event for at least the next decade, Las Vegas locals and visitors to Southern Nevada will have plenty of chances to learn about the sport.
"It used to be like a secondary sport, but I think that's changed in the last few years with some of the actions that Formula One has been putting in place," Bellot says.
COUNTDOWN TO F1:
- Formula 1 officials outline traffic flow procedures for Las Vegas Grand Prix race week
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Countdown to F1 content is sponsored by Sim Coaches.
