An F1 official holds an umbrella over Disney character Mickey Mouse in the paddock ahead of the 2025 Las Vegas GP this weekend Bryn Lennon/Formula 1/Getty Images
When Liberty Media completed its acquisition of Formula One almost eight years ago, it became clear very early on that there was an ambition to enact change and do things differently.
Early steps such as redesigning F1's logo, giving the sport a theme song and opening the paddock's doors to cameras from Netflix were met with some uncertainty at the time, both among the teams and from fans.
Now all three are key parts of F1's identity and, in the case of Netflix show "Drive to Survive," its enormous growth in popularity, especially in the United States, which now hosts three rounds on the 24-race calendar.
Under Liberty, F1 races have undergone a shift in their offering. Even the 'traditional' European events, such as Silverstone, that have been part of the world championship's patchwork since its inception in 1950, have doubled-down on off-track entertainment and concerts to give the spectators in attendance much more than the on-track action.
As the sport continues to make adjustments and sample new ways to both capture and retain fan interest, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has become its new test bed for experimenting with fresh ideas and partnerships.
When it comes to F1, what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas.
"A lot can happen (there) that you wouldn't see at other traditional race tracks," Emily Prazer, F1's chief commercial officer and the president of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, told reporters last month. "Vegas gives the sport the confidence to try a few different things. It's almost like everyone agrees that everything is acceptable in Vegas. It's helping us to grow our creativity and ecosystem."
The novelty and ability to experiment in Las Vegas, a resort city where anything goes and entertainment is king, was recognized by F1 from its grand prix's first running in 2023. Liberty was eager to make an impression from the very start by putting on an opening ceremony on the Wednesday night. The event featured performances from Thirty Seconds to Mars, John Legend and the Cirque du Soleil, and the drivers were presented to the fans on top of giant light boxes.
Although it wasn't to everyone's liking -- Max Verstappen was far from enthused, saying the next day that particular grand prix was "99 percent show and 1 percent sporting event " -- it showed how heavily Las Vegas would lean into the entertainment offering and what the results might be.
It helped inspire F1 to put on something even grander less than 18 months later, when it held its first season launch event at The O2 arena in London to mark the sport's 75th anniversary in 2025. All 10 teams presented their cars and drivers on stage in between music from artists including MGK and Take That, drawing in more than 7.5 million viewers.
Not only did that opening ceremony in 2023 show F1 such a crossover event was possible, it proved their staff could make one work.
"We'd never have done The O2 if we'd never have done Vegas," said Prazer. "We didn't realize, really, the production capability that we had in-house. We're giving ourselves opportunities to commercialize the sport and engage with fans really differently. (It's) not just because of Vegas, but it's given us this (feeling of), 'Well, we can do it, because we tried it and people didn't hate it!'
"It's almost like (we) refer to it affectionately as the test bed, which I think is helping us definitely grow the fanbase."
Although there won't be an opening ceremony in Las Vegas for this year's race on Saturday (early Sunday UK time), F1 recently announced a new 'Grid Gigs' scheme that debuted last month at the race in Austin, Texas, which puts on musical performances shortly before the formal grid ceremonies. The Vegas edition is set to feature Louis Tomlinson and Kane Brown.
One of F1's biggest event successes this year was in Miami, Florida, in May, when drivers were given full-size cars built out of Lego to use for the drivers' parade. The project was kept under wraps for months, making it a surprise that the cars were able to move. A top speed of 12 mph did not stop the drivers from racing each other, making for great entertainment that, according to Lego, generated over 24 billion views across platforms.
It was in Las Vegas last year that the sport's partnership with Lego was announced, and the first temperature check among fans was possible.
The next step for F1 was to have trophies on the podium for the British Grand Prix that were made entirely out of Lego bricks.
"I can't tell you how nervous we were about the Lego trophies," Prazer said. "We were terrified. Everyone was like, 'Are you sure?'. 'Well, we've got to try it at some point. We've got to keep pushing'.
"It's not about trying to alienate a hardcore fan, it's about 'How do we keep this new fandom interested?'.
Lego won't be F1's only partner that will be getting more time in the spotlight in Las Vegas this week.
In May, the sport announced a new collaboration with Disney, which will be officially launched with a special performance at the Bellagio Fountains on race day. F1 has also launched a range of Disney-themed merchandise, as well as linking up with Hello Kitty for the all-women F1 Academy's clothing merchandise range.
F1 again took confidence from opening an 'F1 Hub' store selling merchandise in the city's Venetian casino and hotel last year, which had long lines of people waiting to get in. One of the most popular ranges last year was a collaboration with Peanuts. A second F1 Hub was opened in Austin this year ahead of that race, and again proved massively popular with fans.
"That all stemmed from us being in Vegas and having the opportunity to do it," said Prazer. "The queues are hours long -- 600 people in a line. We're not doing anything revolutionary; we just haven't done it before. Having the opportunity to test it (in Vegas), we're seeing how people like to go to the Venetian and are enjoying the collaborations. I'm not saying that Hello Kitty is going to work in Monza (home of the Italian Grand Prix), but it certainly works in the U.S."
Big-name sponsors have also been eager to jump on the hype that surrounds the race in Las Vegas. In 2023, American Express chose it as the spot to launch its expanded global sponsorship with F1, which has now expanded to cover 15 grands prix.
"My heart's in Vegas because that's where we fully showed up in a really integrated way," Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer of American Express, told The Athletic in an interview. "It's the entertainment capital of the world. What a great place for us to launch things, to try things with F1."
One example Rutledge gave was American Express debuting its double-decker fan experience lounge in Las Vegas before rolling it out at other races, saying it offered an "ability to try things and then use that as a basis for best practice going forward".
Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has said Las Vegas attracts a "different crowd" compared to other races, which allows F1 and its associated brands to experiment.
"You're going to Las Vegas for the grand prix," Wolff told reporters, "but at the same time...enjoying hospitality...may use some...other entertainment...watch some...other entertainment platforms...go...casino...meet friends...kind of become 360-degree entertainment content weekend...all around race."
Prazer said that "experimental sponsorship" was helping engage with F1's audience, tapping into the fanbase the sport has acquired through the popularity of "Drive to Survive" and "F1: The Movie", starring Brad Pitt, which was a box-office smash earlier this year. "If you follow our sport on TikTok right now, it's on fire," Prazer said.
Just as F1 is staking a claim to being one of the most significant events for Las Vegas in its sporting calendar, Prazer felt the city had also given the sport freedom to try different ideas and be more ambitious -- an attitude that will continue tomorrow for the third running of its grand prix.
"We can call it a strategy or luck or whatever," Prazer said,"but it's because we've had this confidence to give it a go."