LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The troubles of the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix were on full display at the Clark County Commission meeting on Tuesday.
Commissioners made it clear they don't want a repeat of the issues of the 2023 event and discussed ways to tighten requirements on race organizers after some in the community say they've had enough with F1.
Randy Markin, Wade Bohn and several community members who own businesses near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane — where a temporary bridge for race track access was erected — attended the commission meeting. They joined dozens of other disgruntled people making sure commissioners heard their voices loud and clear during public comment.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was reportedly the most successful race on Formula 1's 2023 calendar, but it didn't come without hangups.
In the months leading up to and since the event, Channel 13 has heard from multiple local residents and business owners who feel the race did them more harm than good, arguing they lost millions of dollars because of it.
They now plan to sue the Las Vegas Grand Prix in an effort to recoup lost profit.
"It's sad, but we're going to have to go legal," said Markin, who owns Battista's Hole in the Wall. "This is the last thing we wanted to do."
County commissioners heard a staff report detailing the impact the race had on county departments like fire, aviation, public works and more. The F1 debrief exposed such shortfalls as bad communication and failure to meet deadlines.
It also revealed that traffic and transportation were the biggest problems.
"We've got to know how to move people around," Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said. "It's a master transportation problem, and it should be the first thing for any high impact event that we do."
For one thing, the commissioners discussed establishing a May 1 deadline to receive a full traffic plan from F1.
They're also considering creating a high-impact event group to manage large events like F1 with hopes to mitigate problems in advance. They also discussed a better system of accountability with built-in punishments for event organizers who break the rules.
F1 representatives did not address commissioners at Tuesday's meeting, but they did release this statement to Channel 13, which reads:
“As we plan for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, we continue to work with all local stakeholders to ensure expanded opportunities for the community. The county has provided helpful feedback and recommendations for a smoother implementation this year, and we have already begun addressing those recommendations. This year’s race preparations will be significantly streamlined, which will lead to far fewer traffic disruptions in a much shorter timeframe. While addressing the lessons learned of a first-year event, we are also proud of the tremendous success of our inaugural race, with a record of nearly $1.5 billion in economic impact and unmatched global exposure for our destination.”
