It is no secret that Formula One is a sport that can be easily turned into a media event, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the mystical Las Vegas. The past weekend, the fans could watch a great Grand Prix held on the city’s streets, but there is a chance that the cars won’t be their most vivid memory from it. That honor will go the the spectacle the race had become. The grandeur, the glamour, and the fireworks.
With only three races left in the season and the World Drivers’ Championship still up for the taking, emotions were higher than ever heading into Vegas. Lando Norris, the man who is currently first in the standings, started the race from pole but was promptly overtaken by one of his rivals for the title, Max Verstappen. Norris then fell even further behind, finishing lap one in P3. His teammate, who qualified a few places down the grid, also lost out during the start.
The two McLaren drivers spent the rest of the race chasing the people in front of them, while Verstappen kept and managed the lead he had found himself in. Behind them, the two Mercedes performed some commendable teamwork that allowed George Russell to stand on the second step of the podium. Meanwhile, the Ferraris minimized the damage after a disappointing Saturday.
Verstappen crossed the finish line first for the 69th time in his career. The joy brought by the victory only increased a few hours after the race, when an unexpected turn changed the course of the evening. Both Norris and Piastri had been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to the unregulated thickness of the rear skid of both their cars. This had huge implications not only for the race but also for the championship standings. Verstappen had caught up to Piastri, and the two are currently only 24 points behind Norris, with two Grand Prix and one sprint race still to go. The fight for the WDC is far from over.
The race was both interesting and extremely important for the championship, and it should be remembered for these qualities. Unfortunately, there was one element that overshadowed Verstappen’s win in the worst way possible.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is always extremely mediatized, but its more ridiculously loud elements are usually relatively easy to avoid. If someone doesn’t want to see the dramatized drivers’ presentations, they can steer clear of them by only turning their TV on for the events that include actual racing. This time, however, the broadcasters took it a step too far.
Since Formula One has recently announced a collaboration with Disney, the appearance of one of its most recognizable characters was all but unavoidable. Sure enough, Mickey Mouse emerged on the viewers’ screens soon after the race ended and conducted a 5-minute-long (prerecorded) fountain and fireworks show. It took place before the podium ceremony, so anyone who wanted to watch Verstappen celebrate his Vegas win was forced to sit through the whole thing.
This is both annoying and quite surreal for all racing fans. The former is because a lot of them tune into the race weekends for the cars and the drivers, not a dramatized, frankly hard-to-watch show. The latter is due to the meaning of “Mickey Mouse” or a “Mickey Mouse Cup” in the world of sports. The name is used as a decidedly pejorative term describing unimportant wins or competitions.
This wasn’t the only ‘Disney-fied’ element of the embarrassing weekend, but it was the one that was the hardest to avoid. With every race, Formula One becomes more mediatized and turns into something almost unrecognizable. As more big sponsors gravitate towards the sport, the problem is only getting worse. It feels like the racing has, ironically, become a secondary part of the racing weekends, with the spectacle jumping to the forefront.
Despite what many officials would like you to believe, this is not in the best interest of the fans. The fireworks shows and concerts aren’t really there for them. They are there to make unbelievable amounts of money, which can then be used to blow up the media bubble even further. The bigger the bubble, the more glamorous the event. The more glamorous the event, the higher the ticket prices.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the perfect example of Formula One turning into something unrecognizable. Its spectacle overshadows all the parts that made people fall in love with it to begin with, and there is no way to stop the media machine. The only way to top the already grand race weekends is to do more and more. There is nowhere to go but up, no matter what impact it will have on the sports legacy.
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