The upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix, promoted directly by Formula 1, is drawing ire from local business owners who claim the event has severely disrupted their livelihoods.
Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull's senior advisor, echoed the discontent, telling Osterreich: "It doesn't have much support from the local population."
Reports also suggest Nevada's support for the event has been lukewarm, with Formula 1 personnel reportedly facing difficulties at border control.
"They didn't want to let me in," revealed RB driver Yuki Tsunoda. "They kept me for two or three hours and almost sent me home, although my passport shows that I am constantly moving from country to country and I have a valid visa. Not long ago, I competed on another American track, in Austin."
Among the local critics is Wade Bohn, the owner of a Coca-Cola-themed gas station, who initially welcomed the idea of a Formula 1 race in Las Vegas. However, the reality has been a disaster for his business.
"I won't even reach $200,000 in revenue this November," he told Le Journal de Montreal, comparing it to the $682,000 his business made two years ago prior to F1. "It makes me sick. If this race is still here in year four of the contract, I'm done. I've already laid off 50 percent of my employees.
"The destruction caused for a 90-minute race that we host once a year is inexplicable. This is our city," he lamented.
Restaurant owner Randy Markin, who runs Battista's Hole In The Wall, is even suing Formula 1 over the losses caused by the event.
"No event has ever destroyed my city like F1," he said, explaining that his reservations drop by half when Formula 1 comes to town. "It's horrible. People are calling to cancel their reservations because they can't make it because of traffic and closures."
Markin claims his once-bustling diner, located just off the Strip, has been left struggling. "We were the busiest restaurant off the Strip," he said, noting that other nearby eateries simply shut down for race week.
"These people don't give a damn," Markin added, blasting Formula 1. "This is the first time a company has come to Vegas and it hasn't become part of the fabric of the city.
"F1 walks around with its nose in the air, not caring about anything and destroying everything around it. They come in on a private jet, do their business, and fly back. It doesn't work like that around here."
Formula 1 apologised after the disruption caused by the 2023 race and promised improvements for 2024, but Markin says the issues remain unresolved.
"If F1 really cared about Vegas, we wouldn't have to fight in court," he said. "It's impossible to sit down with these people and talk because they don't care. They have no loyalty.
"Their way of thinking they're bigger and stronger with their money doesn't work anymore. Especially not in this single market." body check tags ::
