It’s Monday, November 13, 2023 and this is Racing Recap, your summary of last weekend’s motorsports action. MotoGP had a bland, uninteresting procession in Malaysia. Formula 1 has finally descended on Las Vegas with the street circuit on the Strip finally coming together for next Saturday’s spectacle.
Sphere Set To Be F1’s Largest Ever Billboard
It’s safe to say that preparations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix have been disruptive for the Entertainment Capital of the World. Prominent acts in the casino oasis like Barry Manilow, Cirque du Soleil, Criss Angel, Penn & Teller and Wayne Newton have all canceled shows during the race weekend, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. U2 had a unique problem with the race track wrapping around the Sphere, where they started a residency in late September.
Formula 1 had to rent out the brand-new $2.3 billion venue for the race. Obviously, forcing a pause for such a high-value residency wasn’t cheap for F1. Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei told Motorsport.com that the organization hopes to make some money back by using the Sphere’s massive digital surface as a billboard. He explained:
“This year we have a relationship where we’ve leased effectively the Sphere, both internally and externally. The race will be around the Sphere. So we’re utilizing their property. We will own all the advertising on the Sphere for the duration of the race for a fixed fee.”
It will be interesting to see how race organizers use the Sphere outside of ad space for corporate partners.
F1 Reveal On-Site Wedding Chapel In Las Vegas
For couples looking to recoup the cost of the absurdly expensive tickets, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has shown off a wedding chapel within its permanent pit building just off the Strip. Wedding chapels being a clichéd aspect of Las Vegas, it’s the perfect addition to the world championship’s new home in Vegas.
The chapel’s decorations are ironically on-brand for any F1 wedding. The space includes “Lights out, and together we go!” signage, a romantic twist of commentator David Croft’s signature race start call. There’s also a sign with the rear wing from an F1 car with “Just Married” painted onto the rear wing. If I were ever to spend $200,000 on a wedding, I might as well do it at a Grand Prix.
Bastianini Wins MotoGP’s Malaysian Procession
Enea Bastianina won his first MotoGP race for the Ducati factory team in Sepang. While his teammate Pecco Bagnaia has been fighting to defend his world championship, Bastianini missed the first five Sunday races after being injured in a crash during MotoGP’s first-ever sprint race. He missed a further three rounds after being injured in the Catalan Grand Prix’s opening lap pile-up.
The Malaysia Grand Prix itself was a dull affair. The dirty air being thrown off the bikes’ aero devices was so bad that the front-running riders were able to come within a second of each other. The race was effectively over once the field funneled into line after the opening corners. All a rider had to do to maintain position was not to run off-line or crash.
Race Results
1. – Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
2. – Alex Marquez (Gresini) – +1.535 seconds
3. – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) – +3.562 seconds
4. – Jorge Martin (Pramac) – +10.526 seconds
5. – Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) – +15.000 seconds