Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei has offered an apology to the
residents of Las Vegas for the disruption caused by the preparation
for the Grand Prix. Work has been on-going for months in Nevada to
resurface the Strip, and construct the paddock and pit facilities
with the work having a knock-on effect of delays and diversions for
the local residents and tourists. Trees have been removed while the
world-famous Bellagio fountains have been blocked from view for
grandstands, with there also being complaints about the high prices
for tickets and hospitality packages – with some going for millions
of dollars. However, Maffei suggested the high prices were not
necessarily the fault of F1. Maffei apologises to Las Vegas “I want
to apologise to all the Las Vegas residents and we appreciate that
they have their forbearance and their willingness to tolerate us,”
Maffei told Fox5. “We’re going to bring something like $1.7 billion
of revenue to the area, so it’s not just for the benefit of fans
who want to view the race. “We hope this is a great economic
benefit in Las Vegas. We hope this is the most difficult year with
all the construction that went on and things will be easier in the
future. “There will be a 105,000 people, so the sheer scale of it,
even for Las Vegas will be the largest event Las Vegas will have.
“There’s a launch party from Wednesday to Sunday, almost a week of
events and musical acts. “You know, you’re seeing sports figures
from other sports having their own kind of side viewing parties. “A
lot of [the high prices] frankly comes from costs that are not
entirely ours. “I’m not begrudging our partners, but, you know,
five-night minimums in hotels and things like that helped push up
the costs. Not all of it’s just the pricing of the tickets. “The
experience of that and, frankly, the fact that there’s so much
demand is what drives it.”
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