Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has called on F1 to be “respectful of the locals” amid complaints about the Las Vegas Grand Prix from residents.
F1’s return to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982 has been met with an unprecedented amount of hype.
Work on the new track has resulted in an incredible amount of disruption for local residents.
Slow traffic and inconvenient pedestrian paths, on top of the construction work causing the expected visual and noise pollution, has resulted in complaints.
As a result, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, was forced to issue an apology.
“I want to apologise to all the Las Vegas residents and we appreciate that they have their forbearance and their willingness to tolerate us,” he said.
“We’re going to bring something like $1.7bn of revenue to the area. So it’s not just for the benefit of fans who want to view. We hope this is a great economic benefit in Las Vegas.
“We hope this is the most difficult year with all the construction that went on and things will be easier in the future.”
Speaking at an AMG x IWC event in Vegas, Hamilton gave his view on the disruption for the local people.
“I’ve heard there’s been a lot of complaints about the event being here from the locals and I think we have to be respectful of the locals here,” he said. “There’s so many here, working so hard, there’s a lot of money and wealth in this city, and also the places we’re going, in this industry.
“We’ve got to make sure that people are taken care of I think. We can’t be a circus that shows up that’s all glitz and glamour, and people are affected negatively by it.”
Keyword: Lewis Hamilton calls on F1 to be “respectful of the locals” amid complaints about Las Vegas GP