Racing in Texas, then Mexico City and Brazil, followed by a quick trip to the UK before arriving in Las Vegas, Formula One driver Alex Albon could not stop thinking about his golf game.
He felt up to speed on the Las Vegas street circuit after turning about 500 laps on a simulator.
His golf game? Not as sharp.
Photo: AFP
Albon was among four drivers who competed in The Netflix Cup, a made-for-TV golf match that paired F1 drivers with golfers from Full Swing. The streaming giant’s first foray into live sports coverage launched a week of parties and concerts ahead of Sunday’s race down the Las Vegas Strip.
“We’ve had three races, been in Mexico, Brazil and the United States, and all I was worried about was this match,” said Albon, who upon landing in Las Vegas played a round with a golf coach and his girlfriend, Lily Muni, a player on the LPGA Tour.
The match at Wynn Golf Club was won by Justin Thomas and partner Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, who promptly dropped and broke the trophy as he and Thomas celebrated with champagne and checkered flag winners’ jackets on Tuesday.
Photo: AFP
Sainz laughed it off because it was a breakthrough moment for the Spaniard, an outstanding golfer who earlier this year played in the Ryder Cup All-Star Match in Rome.
“Unfortunately I am not progressing anymore, I am completely stuck because I cannot play more than I already play,” Sainz said. “My God, I would like to become a much better golfer, but F1 is taking me too much time.”
As will this week in Las Vegas, which promises to be nothing like any other race on F1’s 24-event calendar. The casinos, clubs and restaurants have packages catered for fans looking for something to do while waiting for the cars to hit the track late each night from yesterday.
There’s a “Shoey Bar” at the Bellagio’s Fountain Courtyard where guests can buy “limited-edition MGM Rewards-branded driving shoes hand-crafted by an iconic motorsport apparel designer” and then mimic Daniel Ricciardo and chug a cocktail from the shoe.
At the Aria, a celebrity stylist was giving the Valtteri Bottas haircut, which is presumably a version of the mullet the Finnish driver has been rocking all season.
Bottas and his Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu were scheduled to be part of the events.
Ferrari has a pop-up boutique at the Bellagio, the Chandelier Bar in the Cosmopolitan is offering special drinks and show cars are everywhere — from baggage claim at the Las Vegas airport to multiple casinos along the Strip.
Photo opportunities abound.
Hell’s Kitchen in Caesars Palace has a special dinner with chef Gordon Ramsay, who will discuss his love of F1 during the four-course, US$500 meal.
Nobu has a sushi demonstration with chef Nobu Matsuhisa and a meal of toro, A5 wagyu, caviar and cocktails for US$500.
STK in the Cosmopolitan is offering The Full Throttle Cocktail for US$32 in a souvenir cup.
Bravo fan? Vanderpump a Paris is showcasing A Very Vanderpump Brunch, with a special menu, Vanderpump-branded rose and an appearance by Lisa Vanderpump for US$250.
It is unlike anything the drivers have seen even in the sleek, upscale world that is Formula One.
“There’s such a big hype, but personally, I underestimated how big this whole thing was going to be,” Alpine driver Pierre Gasly said. “There’s people everywhere. The location is fabulous. The Sphere in the background? I can’t stop staring at it.”
The Sphere opened in September and is billed as the world’s largest spherical structure. It has a massively bright exterior LED screen that will be on all week, including during the race itself.
Joel Fisher, executive vice president for marquee events and operations for MSG Entertainment, said that The Sphere team worked with F1 on what colors cannot be displayed during the race to avoid distractions.
Sainz wondered if he could have an image of McLaren driver Lando Norris wearing a dress displayed during the race in an effort to distract his close friend.
Fisher said no, the images would be of driver cards, statistics, F1 helmets, graphics and more.
The race is to feature content created exclusively by Sphere Studios.
Aston Martin has partnered with The Sphere for the biggest marketing push in team history as the luxury brand is to display its vehicles on the landmark.
The Sphere itself is closed to the public all weekend and is being used for F1 hospitality.
“This is one of the world’s premier sporting events, and we are ready to showcase Sphere to our global audience via F1 — both in person in Las Vegas and watching around the world,” Fisher said.
However, world champion Max Verstappen was critical of the hype and “distractions.”
The Red Bull three-time world champion criticized the new street course and said he had no interest in the razzmatazz around the event.
“It’s 99 percent show and 1 percent sporting event,” the Dutchman said on Wednesday when asked to evaluate the return of the sport to Las Vegas after a 41-year absence.
“Not a lot of emotions to be honest. I mean I don’t like... I just want to always focus on the performance side of things, I don’t like all the things around it anyway,” Verstappen said.
“I know of course there are some places that you know [it is] part of it, but let’s say it’s not my interest,” he said.
Asked for his opinion on the street track, Verstappen said: “Yeah, not very interesting... It’s just not many corners to be honest.”
After taking part in the opening ceremony, which featured a drone show and music, the 26-year-old said that he would not attend yesterday’s party.
Asked if he would at least be looking forward to the race, Verstappen’s lack of enthusiasm was again evident.
“No. No, but I’m looking forward to trying to do the best I can, but I’m not looking forward to this,” he said, pointing to the hospitality areas above the paddock.
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