I don't consider myself a sports girlie, but in the dark depths of the pandemic, like many other Americans, I got addicted to Netflix's Drive to Survive. Formula 1 became a fun new hobby to obsess over, and my friends and I spent countless hours debating race strategies, ranking drivers based on hotness (yes, it's a working/evolving Google Doc), and deep-diving on all the respective girlfriends of the grid. So when I got the opportunity to go to Las Vegas to experience the Las Vegas Grand Prix, I jumped at the chance. I was about to make my F1 WAG dreams a reality. JK, but also not! And I'm going to tell you exactly how I did it.
I experienced the race through the American Express Fan Experience, which I'll go into more detail on below. But as a quick preview, it's a three-story structure built specifically for American Express cardmembers at the Las Vegas Grand Prix (as of now, it's only available at that race) to watch all the F1 weekend events, including the practices. If you've ever been to the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, you know how big of a presence AmEx has at that event. This is the same idea. I felt like I discovered a race weekend hack just being there.
(P.S. The writer received free stays, meals, and experiences in order to write this story.)
Where to stay:
Before we get into the actual race, let's tackle the hotel of it all. The Wynn was the perfect race weekend base camp. I stayed there because it's one of the AmEx Fine Hotels + Resorts hotels, and being there through American Express meant we got a spa credit and daily meal credits, which was major considering we did most of our eating at the hotel. We also got a late checkout on Sunday morning. If you've ever been to Vegas, you know how clutch that is.
Also, if a huge part of why you like F1 is the celeb spotting (who, me?), the Wynn was the place to be. Throughout our weekend, we saw multiple F1 drivers and team principals at the hotel, and during one lunch in the hotel that will go down in history, we saw Jon Hamm, Chase Stokes, and Kelsea Ballerini, to name a few. I nearly spit out my coffee.
How to watch the race:
Like I said, the American Express Fan Experience was a huge race weekend hack. Anyone with an AmEx card could get in if they made a reservation, and you didn't technically need a race ticket to go. The second and third floors of the structure were reserved for Platinum Card and Centurion Members, though. The yearly fee on the Platinum Card is $695 a year, for reference.
Something about F1 that I've found difficult as a new fan is how expensive it is to watch in person. The barrier to entry is really high. The fact that, with a reservation, you could get into this fan experience to watch the race trackside at no additional cost other than your annual AmEx fee (depending on which one you have)...is incredible. Because it's not like the actual act of watching the race is any different here. It's honestly better? This is the view of the track from the third floor of the experience:
So yeah, we got plenty of vroom vrooms. I spent another part of the weekend in the Paddock Club, which is basically the suite section of the race (and certain cardholders were able to purchase those Paddock Club tickets through AmEx's By Invitation Only program, which gave them early access and other perks). It was truly incredible, but the AmEx fan experience had a really comparable view, tbh. So if you're trying to do race weekend the affordable way and you already pay for these cards, this is great news for you.
Another highlight of the fan experience which might be surprising was the fact that there were TVs right above us as we watched the race. Something I didn't think about beforehand: the drivers will zoom past you and then you won't see them again for maybe another minute or more. It's hard to get the whole context of the race and know what's going on when you can't physically see the drivers in front of you! But from where we were sitting, there were TVs with the live feed of the race so you could hear and see what was going on at other parts of the track. It was a game-changer. AmEx also offered race radios so you could listen to commentary that way, too.
The fan experience was also a really comfortable place to hang out between events. There were multiple bars, couch areas, food trucks, and passed apps. Oh, and I can't forget about the friendship bracelet stations, merch, DJ, photo opps, custom driver avatars, and race recovery lab with massages and Liquid I.V. You name it, they thought of it.
How to dress:
Some other tips to make your race weekend a success? First things first, bring good walking shoes that are also cute. Because this race is driven on the actual streets of Vegas and therefore those streets are shut down, it's hard to walk places. Maybe next year the city will have figured this out a little better, but hey, I was happy to be one of the thousands of guinea pigs at the LVGP.
It's also surprisingly cold in Vegas in November, so layering is key—especially because most of the practices and races happened at night, when the sun was down. Here's my packing list for the weekend:
How to Dress for the Las Vegas Grand Prix
Veja V-90 Leather Sneaker
Lorbro Clear Purse, Stadium Approved
