Welcome to our series - FanAmp Fan Takes, where F1 fans from all walks of life give you their tips, tricks, and insights about attending Grand Prix's all over the world.
I was in this zone for Friday, Free Practice 1.
Food, water, and soft drinks were included with this ticket and were similar to normal ‘festival’ food. The menu included items such as chicken tenders, nachos, sandwiches and mac n cheese. The thing that really adds to the experience sitting in the Mirage Zone, in the grandstands is the location of the actual seats… Having the ability to watch the cars drive on the actual Las Vegas Strip (rather than other parts of the track) was nothing short of magical.
These seats offered a premium view and are absolutely worth sitting in for at least one day of the race weekend. However, the premium view comes with a premium price, and I’d suggest only sitting here for Practice Day, when seats are a bit cheaper. The seats themselves are directly in front of the Mirage Hotel with views of the exit of Turn 12 into Turn 13. With all of the lights shining bright and a gorgeous background, you’ll have a phenomenal view
I was lucky enough to sit in this zone with my friends for 1 day on Saturday for Free Practice 3 and Qualifying as a guest of SiriusXM.
This had to be one of the most INSANE experiences I’ve had at a Formula 1 Race thus far. The suite had an amazing energy and was plush and lavish. The experience was equivalent to what you’d get in the Paddock (minus the ‘grandeur’ and pit lane walks). We were greeted with unlimited alcohol and delicious, top-tier food including Prime Rib, Shrimp Rigatoni, Swordfish, Chicken, and a dessert spread… and of course bottomless glasses of Moet Chandon Brut. Hilariously, my favorite part of this suite, though, was the bathrooms. In grandstand seats, your bathroom will be a well kept porta potty, but here you have an automatic toilet… WITH A BIDET!
The view was also spectacular. The suites are set on the exit of Turn 4 into the first long straight of the track. You’ll be facing Ellis Island, where there are also grandstands available facing back at you (my friends were working with Ellis Island so yelling back and forth over the track was hilarious). If you want a great view and experience at an affordable price point, these views are fantastic - especially because the first DRS zone is right in front of you.
I was in this zone for the canceled Free Practice 2 on Friday and for the Race on Saturday. We had the privilege of enjoying the American Express Suite.
First and foremost, you need an American Express Credit card and a reservation to enter the premises - it can not be booked through your concierge.
As a platinum card holder, I was able to take 3 guests with me to enjoy views of the track from the third floor. Each floor is separated by your card member status, indicated by colored wristbands (three levels in total, with the top level being Platinum). Clearly, we enjoyed this experience, because I went back TWICE during the weekend. We were greeted with goodies, massages, hors d'oeuvres, blankets, portable charges, popcorn, a bar, and endless screens to keep track of the race. FIrst and foremost, though, everyone was SO KIND and I ended up becoming friends with both members of staff and other attendees.
If you are interested in what the American Express Platinum can do for you and your Formula 1 Race experience, see if you qualify and experience the benefits today.
The view from the suite was the back end of the Turn 4 straight into Turn 5. I have zero complaints about the view, but remember depending on what level of American Express Card you have, your view could be different depending on the floor you choose to sit on.
Check out Fiona’s full Las Vegas Grand Prix Race experience in her blog, or check out all of her track views and travel on Fiona's Instagram!
I was in the East Harmon Zone all 3 days of the race weekend alternating between PG2 and PG4.
Overall, I was very happy with the grandstand experience as a whole in the East Harmon Zone. The ticket included free food, water, non-alcoholic beverages - this was included as the ticket cost but with carnival-style food, I’m not sure that the upcharge in the tickets was worth it. There were also a good number of booths, activations, and art in the zone, so you could always find something to do, eat, and drink. This zone also featured sim racing, pit stop challenges, and driver appearances which is a perk of getting a ticket in the East Harmon Zone.
The zone was also very easy to find and to access. The entrance was right next to two monorail stations as well as an Uber/Lyft (rideshare) pickup and drop off point.
One great perk of these grandstands in particular was that internet service was fantastic and the screens were MASSIVE with high streaming quality and powerful speakers… which is not guaranteed at most races. Also, to add on to the experience, everyone was very friendly and happy to chat about race predictions etc…
The view from PG2 was the pit exit, and the view from PG4 was a view of turn 4 into the back straight. While these had similar views as a whole, PG2 only had one large screen and PG4 had 3 screens surrounding the stands. Additionally, the seats were just that… actual seats and not cold metal benches, although the race was still quite cold, so dress accordingly.
My one major complaint about the seats themselves is that PG4 was very close to hospitality suites and areas that were blasting music throughout qualifying and the race.
If you want to check out Cristina’s Las Vegas Grand Prix race review in full, or any of her F1 content, follow her on TikTok or Instagram!
I was lucky enough to get a ticket for Saturday, which was the evening of the race
I was able to do a pit lane walk, spend time in the Alpine F1 Garage, meet some of the engineers on the Alpine Team. They also allowed us to hop on the Paddock trucks to follow the drivers in the parade. It was such an incredible experience to drive on the track under the lights with fans packing the grandstands… perhaps in a much slower car though. I also brushed shoulders with Sofia Vergara, the Beckhams, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna.
The best part of the experience, though, was being able to attend a session with Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda before the race - discussing their expectations for the first Las Vegas GP. You can also watch the podium celebration with these tickets - which most fans were not allowed to do.
I was situated directly above the Aston Martin Garage during a majority of the race. Honestly, this was a great vantage point overlooking the pit lane and the pit straight. The speed of the cars under the Las Vegas Lights is truly a sight to behold. The energy and excitement was tangible, even from the celebrities.
I was only at this deck for Qualifying on Friday.
One of the best parts of this ticket was the unlimited premium alcohol including Champagne and Martinis as well as food catered by restaurants in the Venetian. There were televisions and sound broadcasted on the deck, but it didn’t negate the fact that you could barely see the track if at all.
I honestly did not enjoy the view from this deck at all. The deck was advertised as a raised platform on the strip overlooking the track, but where the deck was situated was pushed so far back on the Venetian Property, that you could not see the track. Had it been raised another 20 or so feet off of the ground, the view would have been incredible. It was definitely more of a ‘social area for a casual fan’ who wanted to be AT the race, but did not care about on-track action.
I was in the GA Sphere, T-Mobile Zone for Day 1 and Day 3 (the race).
One of my favorite parts is a bit weird, but they allowed re-entry into and out of the zone. Also, the amount of staff and signage indicating where to go made this zone EXTREMELY organized, which was very different from the rest of the race. On the day of the race there were a ton of activations, giveaways, and free food, soft drinks, and water so it made the day very exciting. With this ticket you can also watch the pre-race concerts - which this year included Anderson .Paak, J Balvin, Major Lazer, and A-Trak.
We stood at the gates at the corner of Turn 5 along the edge of the Sphere to watch the formation lap and ended up staying there for most of the race. The screen that was near the Sphere was MASSIVE and it was very very easy to watch both the track and action at other parts of the track.
A VERY nice touch was the addition of festival bracelets that would light up when the cars were approaching so that you knew when to look at the track rather than the screen.
Want to hear about FanAmp's experience on and off the track? Check out Kaitlin's Travel Diary On-Track with Ellis Island or Kaitlin's Travel Diary - Off Track!
