Downtown Las Vegas gears up for the 2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Watch F1 racing while you swim, feast, or fest in downtown Las Vegas

By Bruce Brown October 29, 2024

Stadium Swim at Circa Resort & Casino will e the home of the Red Bull Watch Party. — Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

The 2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix race circuit is on the Vegas Strip November 22-24, but Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas is getting ready for the big event also. Race fans will have a choice of watch parties at Stadium Swim or the world’s largest sportsbook and being part of a free inaugural music festival with multiple headliner artists.

Red Bull watch party:

The Red Bull watch party at Stadium Swim takes place on November 23. Stadium Swim is a year-round pool complex and amphitheater with a 143-foot high-definition screen and six heated swimming pools. A Red Bull RB 14 Static Car will be displayed for selfies and group photos, and the venue will feature race-themed cocktails. Admission to the Red Bull watch party will be free to guests 21 and older who attend wearing race gear.

Fans watching the 2023 LVGP at Stadium Swim. — Courtesy o Circa Resort & Casino

World’s largest sportsbook watch party:

The world's largest sportsbook at Circa Resort & Casino.
Circa Resort $ Casion is also the home of the world’s largest sportsbook, with a three-story, 78-million-pixel high-definition screen and a 1,000-plus viewing capacity. Race fans can enjoy food from the Victory Burger & Wings Company’s selection of American classics and Carolina-style barbecue from Project BBQ. Bottle service is also available at the sportsbook.

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Neon City Festival:

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Seven Lions to perform at the Neon City Festival. — Seven Lions Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

Twista will perform at the Neon City Festival. — Twista Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

Twista will perform at the Neon City Festival. — Russell Dickerson Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

The All-American Rejects will perform at the Neon City Festival. — The All-American Rejects Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

Alison Wonderland will perform at the Neon City Festival. — Alison Wonderland Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

New this year, the Neon City Festival (NCF) will light up downtown Las Vegas November 22-24 in a combination of music, art, and culinary experience free for fans, friends, and family of all ages. Located along the Freemont Street Experience and nearby downtown areas, the festival will feature food and beverage vendors, fireworks, and art shows. Featured musical headliners for the NCF are Seven Lions, Wista, Russel Dickerson, The All-American Rejects, and Alison Wonderland.

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A Digital Trends Contributing Editor and Contributor for TheManual.com, Bruce Brown writes e-mobility reviews and covers…

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F1 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race 2024: Verstappen wins decisively

All teams tested tires while Verstappen and Norris led the race for 18 of 19 laps

Circuit of the Americas race track in Austin, Texas.

It was like the beginning of the F1 2024 season at the United States Grand Prix Sprint race on Saturday afternoon, October 19. Red Bull F1 driver and three-time World Champion Max Verstappen started the race in the pole position and was never threatened while keeping the lead and winning the 19-lap competition easily. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and McLaren driver Lando Norris were second and third in the Sprint.

Verstappen's Grand Prix dominance during the first five weeks of the season was so great that many expected he'd be uncontested as he drove for his fourth Championship. After the fifth race, however, issues with the Red Bull race car and winning performances by other drivers, particularly Lando Norris, opened the opportunities for both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. McLaren is ahead of Red Bull, and Norris has been closing the points gap for the Drivers' Championship. Before the USGP, with six Grand Prix remaining in the season, including three with Sprints, the gamble was whether Norris could catch up to Verstappen's points lead before the season ended. Today, with the Sprint finished, the direction turned, and Verstappen strengthened his lead.
Why the Sprint race matters
The FIA Formula 1 organization added Sprint races to a limited number of Grand Prix in a season (currently no more than six) to give race fans who attend in person or stream the race events an additional exciting event during the weekend. Sprints are held the day before the Grand Prix, so people who didn't care much about watching practice sessions and qualifying events would have an excellent reason to attend or watch during an additional day. The top eight drivers win Championship points, too, with eight points for the winner, seven points for 2nd place, and so on, so the eighth place driver wins 1 point. The extra 8 points for the winner can be a good boost, even though it's less than one-third of the points for winning the Grand Prix, which awards 25 points to the winner and decreases more rapidly, so the tenth place driver gets the final point.
What the Sprint race results suggest for the Grand Prix
Because Verstappen won so handily in the Sprint race, Sunday's Grand Prix could be a bellwether for the rest of the season. If Verstappen wins, it may dishearten McLaren because, besides making the math of the Championship points harder to beat with so few remaining races, the feeling around the track may be that Red Bull's upgrades for this race have finally fixed the midseason issues.

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F1 United States Grand Prix Practice 1 Results: whose upgrades made a difference

Windy conditions, a new track surface, and upgrades testing saw many cars missing corners on the sole USGP practice session.

Circuit of the Americas race track in Austin, Texas.

Today's F1 race schedule saw the first and only free practice session for the 2024 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Most Grand Prix weekends include three practice sessions (FP1, FP2, and FP3) for teams to check out the weekly race car upgrades on the track. The USGP, is one of six Sprint weekends of the 24-week schedule, which means instead of FP2 and FP3, the team have a Sprint Qualifying session and the Sprint race itself.

A Sprint race allows drivers to earn extra Championship points (as much as 8 points for the winner) for themselves and their teams. Still, the marginally more leisurely pace of normal race weekends provides more opportunities for teams to adjust and tweak their cars. This weekend's race is also notable because it follows a three-week break since the last race, the Singapore Grand Prix. There were no races, but most teams used the times to make the last likely major upgrades of the season, with six races left in the 2024 season.
What we saw during Practice 1

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McLaren is the team to watch during the F1 United States Grand Prix

Mclaren drivers Norris and Piastri are Red Bull's strongest Championships threat

McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris with the race car special livery for USGP.

As the ten F1 racing teams are gearing up for this weekend's F1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, McLaren is the team in the strongest position to topple Red Bull's lock on the Constructor and Driver Championships. McLaren and Google previewed special edition Chrome livery yesterday, joining the BWT Alpine and Moneygram Hass teams that will also run special edition liveries for its race cars and drivers for the USGP.
Why McLaren changing the cars' livery
Chrome is BACK! Introducing McLaren Racing's special US GP livery
It's common for F1 teams to fit their race cars with one-time special edition liveries. BWT Alpine used livery on their cars and drivers to promote the Marvel film Deadpool & Wolverine earlier this season. For the USGP, Alpine is promoting the new Indiana Jones interactive video game. Haas added blue accents and black-and-white stars to its livery to recognize the American team's home race in its home country.

McLaren worked with Google, the team's Official Primary Partner, on the Chrome livery for USGP "to represent the team's enduring legacy" and to underscore the association with the most popular browser. McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will wear chrome elements in their racing suits.
McLaren's threat to Red Bull