The Editor: Las Vegas GP realises Bernie’s vision

There is nothing quite like an arresting photograph. And the one that caught my eye last month was of Bernie Ecclestone snapped by a passer-by standing in a queue at a donut stall moments after he had been relieved of £652m by a court after pleading guilty to tax fraud. When asked about the case he replied he couldn’t say anything because of the “bloody lawyers”. It was typical Bernie, embodying both unimaginable wealth and man-on-the-street straightforwardness at the same time.

I won’t go into details of the case but there was a certain irony to the fact that Bernie’s downfall (in a legal sense; the 93-year-old still managed to negotiate avoiding a jail term) came just as we were preparing our coverage of the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.

A race on the Strip was always a dream of Ecclestone’s who saw it as crucial to breaking America as well as turbocharging global TV audiences. Importantly the street race would also enable him to break the hold that circuits had on ‘his’ show. His first effort back in the 1980s with the ill-fated Caesars Palace GP might have bombed but Ecclestone never gave up the ambition and even as late as 2014 was negotiating with Vegas powerbrokers about a grand prix on a street circuit around the city.

Now, six years after he left the sport, the new owners are close to realising his dream.

As we report in this issue (page 72) the 2023 Vegas GP is shaping up to be a genuine sporting moment – the apotheosis of F1’s desire to fuse entertainment and sport into an irresistible package to be beamed around the world to a billion smartphones and screens.

But beneath the glitz and glamour there is a serious side to the race that the grey-suited accountants as well as traditional circuit owners will be paying particular attention to. As Edd Straw reveals in his excellent analysis of how the race came about, the business model for Vegas marks a significant shift for the sport – one that could have major implications for how it develops in the future.

Traditionally F1 has been a very asset-light entity in that it doesn’t own very much – not the teams, drivers or circuits, but instead makes its money from selling the media rights and promoter fees. In Vegas it’s different. Here F1 has bought real infrastructure: investing half a billion dollars in paddock and pits and in collaboration with third parties including the hotels is effectively its own race promoter. In theory it is a model that could be rolled out globally – bypassing traditional circuits and giving F1 complete control over its ‘product’.

In the past F1 has been a little coy about whether it was looking to expand or develop the concept to other locations. “Vegas is unique for many reasons,” said Gregg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, owner of F1, last year, playing down the idea of expansion.

But now, the tone seems to have subtly changed. Listen to Zak Brown talking to Straw in our feature: “If we can get this right, all of a sudden in some of those other markets that we need to be in, maybe we can control our own destiny more.

“If that model works then the dream schedule [is possible]. I’d love to see us back in India. They’ve got a track; it didn’t work [from 2011-2013] but if the Vegas model works let’s go to India and not be reliant on a country writing us a cheque, let’s go and do it ourselves.” Bernie would certainly agree.

Last year I sat down with Philip Porter of Porter Press International, the quite prolific book publishers, to discuss one of his latest ideas. I have met Philip on several occasions and he is nothing if not enthusiastic about his business, and to his credit he is constantly looking for innovative ways to promote his titles. These days that is exactly what you need to do: simply publishing a book and hoping it will sell is not enough.

We had worked together previously on a celebration of the E-type’s 60th anniversary at Shelsley Walsh, a wonderful event which harnessed the nostalgia of the 1960s to create a weekend full of evocative cars and dress, all the while allowing Philip to promote his books about this period via the live stage.

It was a neat idea, but his latest plan, as he explained it, was even grander: a full-on motoring-themed literary and arts festival complete with author talks, stalls and exhibits that would be the first of its kind in the world. It would, he said, showcase the best products and titles – including from rival publishers.

This ambitious plan is now a reality, and next month the Motoring Literary & Arts Festival will officially launch at the home of British motor sport, Silverstone. What’s more, Motor Sport is proud to be a partner in the endeavour, and as you can read on page 104, it will be an action-packed event. Over 50 speakers and 30 different Q&A sessions will be devoted to motor sport subjects. Exhibits will include everything from posters to original art works to a demo on the little-known craft of bookbinding. “Whether you are into Formula 1, sports car racing, motor sport movies, technical stuff, painting, books, sculpture or illustrations, we have it covered,” states Porter, with typical enthusiasm.

The event takes place on December 2 and 3 in the Silverstone Wing, with tickets and more details available on the dedicated festival website and also via the Porter Press site. We hope to see you there!

Joe Dunn, editor
Follow Joe on Twitter @joedunn90

Next Issue: Our January issue is on sale from November 29