Las Vegas pushing for long-term F1 deal

Formula 1 and Las Vegas officials are in talks over a major contract extension that could keep the race on the Strip until 2032 - or even as far as 2037 - despite ongoing complaints about cost, disruption and soft ticket demand.

According to local reports, negotiations are centred on a five or ten-year renewal that would allow F1 to justify larger infrastructure investments after two years marked by high ticket prices, prolonged street closures and negative local business feedback.

"We understand the inconvenience," Las Vegas GP president Emily Prazer told the Review-Journal. "The challenge from the beginning has been dealing with a short-term contract that makes it difficult to invest a lot of capital.

"The longer the contract we can secure, the more we can invest in infrastructure to make everything easier."

Prazer said each year’s build has become faster, and long-term certainty - particularly around lighting - would ease the burden on the city.

Speaking separately to the Las Vegas Sun, she said officials expect around 100,000 spectators per day this week, with rising interest from Mexico, Canada and Europe. She believes the race can help support the city’s struggling international tourism sector.

"If you’re looking for destination marketing to drive international tourism back to Las Vegas, we feel like we’re in pole position to assist with that," she said.

Las Vegas has welcomed 2.5 million fewer visitors so far this year, with international arrivals falling more than 13 percent. However, Prazer said race-week ticket sales have not dropped, with several tiers sold out and demand "pacing significantly ahead" of last year.

Local tourism experts caution that F1’s impact will be short-term, but acknowledge the Netflix-driven boom in US fan interest.