Hamilton Calls For Respect For Las Vegas Residents Amid Recent 'Complaints'

F1
Thursday, 16 November 2023 at 21:00
Updated at Friday, 17 November 2023 at 00:07
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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton talked about recent complaints from Las Vegas residents ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The 2023 F1 season will have a race at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and since it's a track that will be built just for the race, there is a lot of work done ahead of the second-to-last Grand Prix in the calendar.

With a lot of construction work ahead of the Grand Prix, many local residents were not happy, as they were facing multiple issues in their day-to-day lives, such as the noise disruption, or various changes in the area.

Previously, the Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei has already issued an apology to the Las Vegas residents. Maffei emphasized that F1 will bring a lot of revenue to the area, meaning that the possible disruptions are also for the profit of the residents.

"I want to apologise to all the Las Vegas residents and we appreciate that they have their forbearance and their willingness to tolerate us. We're going to bring something like $1.7 billion of revenue to the area. So it's not just for the benefit of fans who want to view [the race]."

Echoing the apology from the Liberty Media CEO, Mercedes driver and currently second man in the World Drivers' Championship, Lewis Hamilton, asked for more respect towards the local residents when talking during an appearance at an event for Mercedes sponsor IWC.

"I’ve heard there’s been a lot of complaints about the event being here from the locals and I think we have to be respectful of the locals here. There’s so many here, working so hard, there’s a lot of money and wealth in this city, and also the places we’re going, in this industry."

The British driver said that it's important that the F1 doesn't arrive as a "circus" that could possibly affect the residents negatively.

"We’ve got to make sure that people are taken care of, I think. We can’t be a circus that shows up that’s all glitz and glamour, and people are affected negatively by it."

Despite everything surrounding the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Hamilton will want to focus on his race, as he's currently battling Red Bull's Sergio Perez for the second place in the World Drivers' Championship.