LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In just five months, Formula 1 cars will once again zoom through our city. However, Las Vegas Grand Prix officials say they've been hard at work making several changes to this year's race experience.
"We listened to the feedback and some of the changes you'll see is less set-up time and less impact to the roads," said Lori Nelson-Kraft, the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix's Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs.
Nelson-Kraft has lived in Las Vegas for about 30 years and has worked for several local companies and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
She is now with the Grand Prix team and says she wants Formula 1 to have a strong footprint in our community.
"We've expanded the ticket offerings to have a variety of price points and experiences," Nelson-Kraft said. "It's much more approachable this year. There's going to be over 10,000 tickets that are available at the GA price point."
WATCH: Full interview with LVGP's Lori Nelson-Kraft
According to the Grand Prix website, there are brand new fan zones this year, plus six grandstand and general admission three-day ticket options that are cheaper than the most affordable option in 2023.
The cheapest three-day ticket for 2023 was $2,000. However, this year, there are three-day tickets for as low as $600 and one-day tickets for as low as $150.
I spoke with Armando Sinclair, who works on the Las Vegas Strip, and asked him if the lower price would entice him to purchase a ticket. He said he would consider it, but the prices last year were way too high.
Sinclair, and many others, tell me construction and traffic congestion have been their main concerns.
Nelson-Kraft says F1 crews don't have to pave any roads this year, so they're expecting only three months of construction compared to nine months last year.
WATCH: F1 construction confusion: Clark County says this year's construction will be different than last year
"So for our business, it means we're going to only lose two-thirds less, so it's still being down three months and we're going to lose money," said Randy Markin, who owns Battista's Hole in the Wall Italian Restaurant.
Markin says he'll wait to see if the promised changes actually happen. He doesn't think the changes will be enough to help his Flamingo Road business draw a profit during the race and lead-up to it.
Nelson-Kraft says race officials heard the community complaints and submitted a traffic plan to the county that better addresses those concerns. She says the plan is still being reviewed by the county before they can move forward with anything.
The plan is supposed to have more lane closures instead of road closures and change the controversial Flamingo Bridge from four lanes into two lanes.
Nelson-Kraft says that should allow more traffic to flow into those businesses. However, Markin says the bridge is going to hurt them, no matter the size and how it's built.
That traffic plan has yet to be released, but we will continue to update you with the latest developments for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
WATCH: LVGP: Updated plans for Flamingo vehicle bridge will 'cause less disruption' for 2024 race
