F1’s New Owners Want A Night Race In Las Vegas

The new owners of Formula One, Liberty Media, are looking for a way to boost the sport’s revenue and popularity and according to its chief executive, that could involve a night race in Las Vegas.

During a conference in Barcelona last week, Motorsport reports that Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei expressed serious interest in adding a Las Vegas round to the ever-expanding F1 calendar.

“I particularly like the idea of a night race in Las Vegas,” he confirmed.

It is further reported that Bernie Ecclestone held talks with potentially interested parties about a race in Las Vegas earlier this year but it seems such discussions have stalled.

If a second U.S. round was added to the calendar, it might not be the only new race. According to Maffei, the existing 21-race schedule could be expanded further.

“Obviously there is a limit on how much you can do. Just getting the cars around the world, but I think we can expect to grow the amount of races to a mild degree. There is a general line of interest if you increase the number of races to a point. The FIA makes more money, the teams make more money, we make more money. But new entrants tend to pay more,” he said.

Whatever happens, F1 seems on the verge of getting the shakeup it desperately needs, particularly with the introduction of new cars next year.