Seattle resident Tumjde Addams crouched down to inspect a replica Ferrari Formula One race car on display in the Caesars Palace plaza Saturday night. 

A lifelong F1 fan, Addams and his partner Meagan Kechter completed “a bucket list item” by attending the Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying rounds Friday night, watching from a grandstand seat near the Flamingo.

Kechter said they had hoped to secure tickets for the race, but an hour before the start, their prospects dimmed. Instead, they headed back to the Sahara Hotel and Casino in time for the green starting flag and watched the race in the sportsbook. 

Getting a few selfies with the vehicle was a bonus. 

“The opportunity to [be] around all the activity around Formula One and seeing aspects has made this a great weekend,” Kechter said.

Inside Caesars Palace, Baltimore resident Stephan Ritter placed wagers on several drivers on a Caesars Sportsbook kiosk. Ritter, who was in Las Vegas to attend a conference, said the small bets gave him some rooting opportunities as he headed elsewhere in the casino.

Formula One was the focus of attention throughout the resort corridor, even in locations near, but not on, the 3.8-mile circuit that included a 1.2-mile stretch along the Strip. Viewing parties were held at bars and other venues, including on Water Street in Henderson. 

In Downtown Las Vegas, the race played second fiddle to the inaugural Neon City Festival, which included musical entertainment on Fremont Street Experience stages and in the outdoor Downtown Events Center.

These events were viewed as a contrast to the high-priced tickets for certain grandstand areas and the high-end suites operated by casinos to lure their top gaming customers to Las Vegas.

A year ago, messaging by tourism officials dissuaded Las Vegas visitation unless it was to attend the Grand Prix. However, that led to little tourism activity beyond the race. This year, the Las Vegas Raiders hosted the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium, which satisfied south Strip gaming properties that lost business because of the race.

“We wanted to [offer] some unbelievable entertainment for free, which benefits locals as well as helps tourism,” said Circa Resorts CEO Derek Stevens, who sponsored the three-day festival. A year ago, downtown casinos were shut out of any F1 financial benefits.

Meanwhile, race fans without one of the 100,000-plus tickets sold for the Grand Prix found unique ways to get close to the action. 

Along Koval Lane, opposite the grandstands and viewing area sponsored by Heineken Beer, fans sat atop their vehicles parked in front of the lowrise hotel portion of Ellis Island Casino for views of the straightaway as the racers headed north toward the Sphere. 

Ellis Island had a viewing party inside the casino’s beer garden for its top customers, which included drawings for several prizes.

At the nearby southeast corner of Koval and Flamingo Road, guests of the Platinum Hotel Las Vegas utilized their room balconies, the rooftop and the parking garage of the non-gaming property to watch F1 racers hit speeds up to 200 miles per hour heading north toward the Sphere.

In addition to sponsoring a viewing zone inside the F1 confines, Heineken set up other marketing opportunities, such as a spot at the front of the Westin Hotel on Flamingo, near the Koval straightaway. There, guests sipped free non-alcoholic beer and could drive a virtual replica of the Las Vegas race track on a simulator.

“We told them they could have five laps, but we’re going to have to cut it down to three,” said host Kylie Cabildo of Las Vegas. “It’s getting busy.”

But not every business operator was happy with Formula One. An employee of Jay’s Market, a convenience store at the northwest corner of Flamingo and Koval that has claimed millions of dollars in lost business because of construction for track and F1 support facilities, said just a smattering of customers purchased beverages or snacks a few hours before the race.

One block west of Jay’s, Marco Durdevic, the assistant manager of Battista’s Hole in the Wall Italian restaurant, said road closures and traffic tie-ups due to the race reduced reservations to around 200 on a weekend when the location normally draws between 750 and 800 reservations.

Battista’s did have one satisfied customer. Joe Alvarez and his family dined at the restaurant before the race and headed back to their rooms at Caesars Palace. Even with the race crowds, it was just a short walk from the corner of Flamingo Road and the Strip.

The Las Cruces, New Mexico residents always visit the restaurant on their trips to Las Vegas. He said the family attended the second-to-last performance by Caesars headliner Adele, who ended her residency at the resort a few hours later. 

Competing with college football 

Some 12 miles southwest of the Strip, the Las Vegas Grand Prix was front and center for sportsbook customers at the Durango Casino & Resort.

However, by the midway point of the race, F1 was competing with three college football games — including Fresno State’s 28-22 upset win over Colorado State that had implications for the UNLV football team — for the attention of the crowd. If the Rebels defeat Nevada on Nov. 30, the team will head to the Mountain West championship game.

The large screens in the main sportsbook were divided between the football games and the race that was exclusive on those in Durango’s outdoor patio area, which is part of the casino’s The George Sportsman’s Lounge. 

That’s where Las Vegas siblings Jessica Lilang and Justin Lilang were rooting for the drivers from the McLaren race team — Australian Oscar Piastri and England’s Lando Norris.

Jessica wore a McLaren jacket and is a dedicated follower of F1. She provided some expert commentary on the race’s final few laps for her brother and a reporter. 

Jessica Lilang became a fan of them after discovering on social media that she shares Filipino heritage with Bianca Bustamante, a member of the McLaren Driver Development Program. 

“How could I not cheer on another Filipina?” she said. Last year, she worked in the support services for the Grand Prix and met Bustamante and the McLaren drivers.

For those keeping score, Mercedes driver George Russell of England, who had earned the Grand Prix’s pole position, won the 50-lap race. He finished more than 7 seconds ahead of fellow British driver and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. 

Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won last year’s Grand Prix, finished fifth. But the Dutch driver scored enough points to clinch his fourth consecutive F1 world title. The two McLaren drivers finished in sixth and seventh places.

Another new F1 fan watching the race at Durango was Vincent Magliulo Jr., whose father had a 45-year career in the Las Vegas sports betting industry. The younger Magliulo was rooting for the Ferrari team drivers, who finished third and fourth.

“I’ve gotten into it because it’s getting popular in the state,” he said.

However, neither F1 nor the Colorado-Fresno game attracted the attention of Zoran Filicovic, who stood near the sportsbook’s bar with his eyes glued to the USC-UCLA football game.

“I like the Bruins,” he said.

Drawn to Fremont Street

At the Fremont Street Experience Friday night, in a space underneath Vegas Vic, customers browsed in a Formula One pop-up store with caps starting at $50, shirts, jerseys from $100 to $150 and other items with F1 and team logos. 

The store’s manager, Phil Robertson of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, said the temporary location opened a week before the race and would be closed by Sunday. He said he operates similar stores during race weekends in Austin, Texas, and Miami, the two other U.S. cities with Formula One events. 

Alejandro Alvarado of Monterrey, Mexico, walked through the store with his family but left to see more of Fremont Street. The Formula One fan wore a shirt with Red Bull logos that signaled his support for that team of drivers, including Sergio Perez of Mexico. 

Alvarado had tickets for Saturday’s race in the T-Mobile Zone that surrounded the Sphere. 

“It’s my first time in Las Vegas. There is a lot to see,” said Alvarado, who was staying at the Flamingo and came exclusively to attend the race. “I’ve been an F1 fan for a long time.”

By Friday evening, football fans, primarily supporters of the Denver Broncos, were arriving in Las Vegas for Sunday’s game.

Meanwhile, Dana and “River” Rick Fritzshe of Columbus, Ohio, toured Fremont Street on Friday night wearing Denver Broncos sweatshirts. The couple planned the trip to Las Vegas when the NFL schedule came out to support their favorite team.

After purchasing the tickets and reserving a room at the Luxor, Dana Fritzshe realized the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix was taking place the night before the football game. 

“We had no idea. We’re not racing fans,” she said. 

The couple said they had no interest in the race. Instead, they booked an all-day tour of locations surrounding Area 51 on Saturday. 

“We’ve always wanted to do that. We’re fascinated with Area 51,” “River” Rick Fritzshe said. “We also knew Luxor was close to the stadium. Broncos fans love to travel.”