Vegas probably isn't ready for Formula 1

[@ankatdubh]

Oh hell yeah, the Swell x F1 commentary crossover I’ve been waiting for

[@duk5680]

frfr

[@AM711]

😆

[@coccodelgado9981]

realllllllllll

[@dbagette]

Can a vid about construction be instruction be interesting? idk, maybe? Swell just uploaded, LFG!

[@westiepup369]

ITS FINALLY HERE

[@bluto816]

Vegas local here. Was kind of looking forward to it until things actually started moving. F1 killed a lot of goodwill with locals over the construction. Have absolutely avoided doing anything near the strip for the past 6 months. The fact that the city wasn't able to put together a solution for people working the strip the on the days of the event was a huge one and one of the contributing factors for the culinary union voting to strike on the 10th if their demands weren't met. The final nail in the coffin, though, was the trees that were chopped down- not relocated- to make way for the grandstands in front of Bellagio. Those trees dated back to the original Dunes golf course. To quote Oceans13, those trees shook Sinatra's hand and there's a code among guys who shook Sinatra's hand.

[@holoheart9352]

Check your local tree laws. If they were older trees, they are protected and by law, they will be finned for each tree, and they are required to replace/grow new trees in their places in same or close location. And all thats needed is a writen complaint to the department that manages your tree laws. It won't be immediate and it won't bring back the old trees that were cut. But it is something.

[@Arcadian-Nova]

to be fair, its not F1 or even FIA doing all this, its most likely the city of Las Vegas (or probably more precisily a branch of the city council) or whoever was the organizer of the las vegas grand prix, FIA has dealings with the circuits, the tracks pay FIA a hosting fee of SEVERAL tens of millions, but the whole putting the track together is not on FIA. they should have taken inspiration from other street circuits like monaca.... or even contacted organizers of those circuits to ask for help. to me it seems that the people organizing this only really has their eye on the potential earnings it can bring in for THEM, but from what ive read in other comments as well is that the regular workers in town get fucked basically. i hope that for you all vegas residents and workers it wont be much of an hassle in the end

[@mikulitsi1819]

Oh wow I feel sorry for you guys. I personally didn't want F1 to go to Las Vegas simply for the fact that Max already stated: "I think we are there more for the show than the racing". I hate when the show takes much more importance than the racing

[@Limegreenedragon]

​@@mikulitsi1819and Max is right, if the sport keep tweaking the sprint format, add more sprint races, etc. it's going to push Max into an early retirement from the sport

[@GaspoweR]

To be fair F1/Liberty Media are the ones who are footing the bill to get a lot of this infrastructure built. They may not be the direct organizer but unlike most other circuits, F1 management had a lot of say in this. @@Arcadian-Nova

[@doctorbone3655]

Also, an important thing to consider here: people are blaming F1 for many of these issues and seem to beleive that rhe FIA is rhe one putting a race in Vegas. That is not how it works. Vegas as a city had to bid and beg for this spot.

[@SD-mi2vc]

They trying to salvage a faling product

[@crystalluvspocky712]

Really good point!

[@SD-mi2vc]

There is no on track compeitiveness. So they have to shovel more shit to make up the money. Thats why you're seeing 20+ races. And a messing up qualifying set up. To make up for the lack of variety in competition.

[@erima4270]

Vegas had to bid but F1 didn't have to choose them so yeah, it's F1's fault

[@Vislow]

​@@erima4270Yeah it's not the people who asked for it that are at fault, it's the people who gave it to them. L take.

[@TheSanguineSiren]

As an employee of one of the hotels inside the track, I can say this has been and will be a nightmare. My usual 30minute commute can be anywhere from 30minutes to 2 hours randomly. Sometimes the traffic is so bad I can't even leave the parking garage. They aren't giving us any pay increase at all for it. They will have karaoke and a raffle with prizes but that's it. Hey expect us to park off property and share the monorail with tourists to commute back and forth. Just the housekeeping department has hundreds of people changing shifts per day so that's a nightmare and our property won't be the only one doing this. We have to park at the convention center off strip which isn't the best part of town. They haven't even told us if there will be security there patrolling. I'm a woman who would be walking that after midnight. It's a mess and I could rant and rant. I'm about to tale a pay cut just to get a job away from the mess.

[@michaelbauer8778]

Habe you ever heard of public transport? Why is everyone in this shit hole of 2 mio people driving with its own car 😂 make stupid things win stupid prices, I guess

[@ba2724]

Calm down, you'll be alright.

[@notNajimi]

@@ba2724my man they just explained all the ways this is already affecting them. way to listen

[@Elhastezy888]

Your not the first or second or third post I've seen where someone had to leave work & change jobs. I'm very sorry everybody is going through this. I was on the Duece, the strip Bus a couple months ago & everybody was stuck on the bus for hours. The bus driver didn't make the announcement that it was the ladt stop before construction & that mistake, not telling us caused enormous problems. There was a riot on the bus that one rider got under control by telling us all what was going on. But it ruined my life that day & the next. JUST not getting to my transfer bus or getting home toll hours later. And that was just one day, one bus ride, months ago. I've heard horror stories since

[@Lee-ke9mx]

Damn! Seems like they really don’t care about the workers and people like you who do everything you can. Vote trump and hopefully in a few years he’ll fix the problems

[@The.Nasty.]

I’d say most people here in Vegas aren’t happy about this Gand Prix. They’ve blocked off major roads in busy areas and have cut down some beautiful trees (which Vegas needs more of, not less) to make way for the race. The feeling I get is that it’s a lot of sacrifice from Vegas as a whole, for something that’s only going to benefit a select few casinos/people. Between the Sphere, the new Raiders Stadium right next to the strip, people trying to build homes in Red Rock… your average Vegas resident is dealing with a LOT of inconvenience lately.

[@Shimeih]

I can only imagine what it’s doing to the cost of living for locals. Even as fans we don’t really want a vegas street gp

[@TheVargr]

Not many F1 fans want it either. Probably will be a rubbish circuit, and we already have too many Street circuits

[@SocietalNoob]

Genuinely asking, why do Vegas natives stay in Vegas?

[@brandondixon2138]

​@@SocietalNoobthey can't afford to leave

[@The.Nasty.]

@@Shimeih yeah, it seems both sides aren’t 100% happy about this race.

[@Everyhandleiwanthasbeentaken]

I live in Singapore (in the city - like 10 mins walk from the f1 track gates) and so get impacted by the F1 every year. As a massive f1 fan I’m all for it but I’m always impressed at how little disruption there is. We literally get 6 days of detours (when public transport is your go to). A month or so before they start building the temporary grandstands but again no real disruption. Just cornered off parks which is fine. We just put up with the tourists who come to town (most of which aren’t even fans as they’re here for the concerts - and moan that there aren’t enough taxis when we have an amazing underground system). Bridges always get covered up but I think it would be CHAOS if they allowed sight from them - and extremely dangerous. Singapore does it so well. The question is how are they going to limit the disruption in Vegas in the upcoming years…if they cannot then it should be pulled

[@zesolodar]

unfortunately it will be just as bad every year. the public transport infrastructure there as well as most of the country is so far behind place like singapore and the cities and govs will do absolutely nothing to fix it. to them it wont be worth the investment for a one weekend a year event that may or may not be permanent. unfortunately if it impacts the strip their is really nothing they can do about it do to how vital it is for tourism, the locals, the economy ect.. miami worked because they put it at miami gardens near the stadium so it was kind of out of the way and austing is at an actual track.

[@stingray1irwin0]

​@notville_spam bot copying replies. Report.

[@jonpetter8921]

​@@zesolodar Maybe the city can use the money from F1 to upgrade their public transport infrastructure.

[@vera9230]

I'm an intervention marshal and there's definitely concerns about safety and logistics from our camp, but it's definitely one of those things that will just have to be waited out. I understand the anger over the bridge covering, but that's had to become common practice across all circuits with any overtrack bridges due to major safety issues with crowding on those types of locations (major egress point!!). Much less organized events have gone by fine without a hitch from spectators POV (not so much ours), so I think in the end this should be fine, but we'll see.

[@northeastoutrider2124]

I've worked in very large event planning for over 38 years. From my perspective, the progress looks really well done. There are a lot of things they can not do until laterally hours before the race begins. I see a crap ton of the additionally needed materials already stage and you can be sure they will have a well trained army of people with loads of forklifts ready to move the morning of. I am sure they got this covered.

[@EllaGP22]

That’s true. In other F1 Grands Prix they can set up parts of the track in a matter of hours. Other street races also open up for traffic in the downtime without much issue. I don’t have much worries that these things will be a major issue.

[@LoveLightVibration]

I worked in event planning at a major broadcast network, and I had all of the same concerns expressed in this video. Moving and re-moving of barricades to allow for public access is unnecessary. For the safety of the drivers and spectators, 4 days of complete closure would've been in alignment with all the inconvenience they've already caused.

[@RoKModder]

Actually, there is one argument as to why they block those windows up from people seeing. (Total guess here) If u got a bunch of people crowding up those spaces, it'd make it real dang tough to walk by. My guess is that they placed these to reduce congestion in those tight walkways and make sure the flow of people moving through is more constant.

[@CMDR_TACO]

Yeah it’s this even on dedicated tracks where everyone paid to be there they block off the walkways over the track to prevent people from stopping to watch and blocking the walkways.

[@vieeve]

yeah this is why, I've been to a couple f1 races and an Indycar race and all overpasses are covered to prevent crowding and keep people walking. It is something in the regulations for the race and even though Vegas isn't a proper track it still needs to meet those requirements for a race to be held. I do think that those blockers should have only been put up right before though, not 2-4 weeks before. There is obviously also an element of them wanting people to pay to see stuff too but safety on the bridges is a large part of it.

[@kyamaldinihill]

Such a great point! This may deffo be one of the reasons. I mean, F1 obstructing views for non-paying people isn't something new, they go to great lengths to do it in every GP (not just on bridges). But for this case alone, I totally agree. A lot of safety issues come into play as well.

[@mirrepoix]

kinda sounds like another argument for why they shouldn't have put the damn thing on the strip in the first place, tbh

[@thefowlyetti2]

Its very basic logic

[@GreatBooker]

Hey Amanda, I just wanted to say thank you for covering this. It’s also worth noting that many of the areas impacted by this are lower-income areas (not all, but many) AND it has disrupted bus service that many people depend on to get to and from work. So people who help this city run are getting screwed by the city.

[@Ravioli-uw9uy]

As someone born and raised in Las Vegas, this is seriously one of the worst things that happened to the city. I had to leave my job on the strip due to the HORRIBLE traffic. Formula 1 is literally just for the casino executives. Locals had NO SAY about this. We never voted for this. We get nothing from this event except a giant headache. None of us care about it either.

[@greatBLT]

I'm a Vegas native, too, and I think it's one of the best things, lol. That's only because I'm a big F1 fan. This GP ought to make up for that terrible Caesar's Palace parking lot GP that was held back in the 80s.

[@darthmalgus232]

Not a Vegas native but I am an American (East Coast). I love Formula 1 and a Vegas race sounds really cool to me, but not when it causes problems for the citizens of Vegas. I’m interested to see how good or bad this race will end up being and the consequences of it all.

[@loC2ol]

@@greatBLTso is locals paying $40 Million in taxes for paving to the richest Sports empire (worth tens of billions) for their own race track in our city? On top of all this traffic and disaster (not to mention a death building those grandstands) is worth it? All for three days? Lol you must live in like Macdonald Highlands or something….

[@seaslugcecil]

Right now everything the city is doing between this, wanting us to pay for the baseball stadium with our tax money, and every other new project they're putting into works without any consideration to the effects on transportation infastructure, it's all for the casino execs and the city. And people on places like reddit looooove to tell those of us who complain (which is the majority of us irl) that we need to shut up and take it because this is "what will bring money into the city", meanwhile we all know we as citizens and workers will not see a return for any of the suffering they'll put us through in the name of their projects. They'll put our money towards this, meanwhile our schools will continue to get worse and our quality of life will decrease.

[@michaelbauer8778]

On the other hand, you locals would be nothing without the Casino executives. So yes, of course you can’t say no to this, because without your boss the step wouldn’t be even existing

[@sambembs]

I'm fortunate enough to work for an F1 team and It's always weird to me to hear people who are not F1 content creators talk about their love of F1, it reminds me just how big the sport has gotten! Fingers crossed Vegas goes well.

[@Lee-ke9mx]

The Netflix show did wonders but I think people are slowly losing interest. It’s so boring now

[@awijaya2116]

@@Lee-ke9mx This was basically what it was like during the Mercedes years, we just got a really good season in between the changing of which team got to be dominant

[@seashackf1]

@@awijaya2116exactly, this is more the norm. ‘21 was more of an adoration. Netflix DTS gave people the wrong impression with some made up drama. It brought in a lot of people looking for drama who aren’t motor racing fans.

[@seashackf1]

As a American who’s been following F1 since ‘92 it’s definitely weird hearing people who aren’t otherwise motor racing fans here talk about it. I’ve always been the only one and rarely met other people in the US who knew anything about it at all. I’m still not convinced the interest will last long term though, especially since open wheel single seater racing has never been big here. Even most NASCAR fans traditionally haven’t followed F1 at all.

[@realtalk6195]

@@seashackf1 I think rallycross is something that people around the world would like, but it doesn't enjoy the same promotion and marketing.

[@pizza-skeleton]

I am fully expecting a safety car or red flag this race. I honestly don't think that this race will go well. I just hope nothing terrible happens. I really hope that this track doesn't get signed for more years, it'll be such a nightmare to deal with for people living in Vegas. Edit: Was wrong about the Red Flag being during the race. Did happen during FP1. Honestly went a lot better than I expected. Hoping the setup for this race will be smoother in the coming years.

[@dylanburston7453]

Oh no. Someone will be slightly inconvenienced for one weekend a year.

[@OZUndead]

@@dylanburston7453 Excuse me, Vegas is a place of tranquility and humbleness and has no room for such greedy events. They care about people there, not about money!

[@Deploracle]

@@OZUndead Oh right .. I see what you did there.

[@OutLanderUSN]

I think they've already signed on for 10 years. Also, once this initial round of construction is over, it shouldn't be as bad moving forward. It's also one weekend a year; it's no different than any other event that gets put on.

[@cadenzabreak7689]

I mean, red flags and safety cars happen all the time at very successful tracks?

[@JP_43]

As others have said, the blocking of views is less about not letting people get a free view and more about keeping those spaces capable of moving people. If you could get a free view there, you would have crowds of people jamming in and then staying there. It would grind all movement to a total halt.

[@robt6127]

My thoughts on this though would be if there were no barriers blocking view points then there wouldn't be massive choke points in a particular spot. I do empathize for local tax payers though who yet again receive nothing from their taxes as someone from Tampa area where they were talking about using tax payer money for a new stadium. These projects usually result in a loss for tax payers why those initiating the project get the golden egg at the expense of locals.

[@JP_43]

@@robt6127 Yeah but those relatively narrow bridges are directly over the track. It's a prime spot people would camp out there for a free front row seat and definitely jam it up. But you're not wrong about the locals getting hosed on this. They get some big tourist dollars but that's it really.

[@YouMatterandMakeupToo]

Living in Vegas, this is not awesome. 10 years of not awesome. It's still a mess and you're right, so much is not done. I'm not an active F1 fan but can we discuss the money that Vegas needs for our educational system and the lack of mental health care we have here? No money from Allegiant, promises of money from the legalization of pot, we have F1 now, and allegedly they are going to tear down the Tropicana to put in a baseball stadium. You're right. The trickle up is real. Plus, the workers are on the edge of a strike because tipping isn't typical for the international audience. So yeah, us locals have a variety of concerns because we are never taken into consideration.

[@vee0gee]

Well said! I am a local as well. How can you expect someone to wait 1-2 hours in traffic to get to work, to only be paid horribly?

[@blackgreybohemian]

Born and raised and have seen A LOT of change in MY life time. Dad is born and raised and has seen even MORE in his 70+ years. I can concur that no one asked for this and we as locals were DEFINITELY NOT taken into consideration. I've watch our town go from being very "local centered" to corporate greed and I fear it's just going to continue to get worse and eventually collapse us.

[@thejusmar]

It's really interesting about the "international audience" concern. Much of the F1 community is up in arms about the vegas race because it appears to them that the vegas & miami races are "extra" races added onto the calendar to cater specifically to the untapped and affluent american market based on the insane ticket pricing. Austin @ Circut of The Americas is considered the definitive modern U.S Grand Prix.

[@Gingermycat]

As an old Vegas local I was feeling the same way! How can you take money that is needed for the locals and give it to stuff that has a huge tax break? The mental health crisis in Vegas is unreal! The education system is laughable. Truly get sisolak out of office and put in someone who actually cares.

[@dubsessed9790]

I've been going to vegas for many years and the tip culture there has been out of hand for a long while. Vegas has been going downhill for quite some time. There's nothing that makes me want to go back, and it was my "groups" #1 vacation spot each year.

[@DismaeofJae]

Hiya! So I was an Event Coordinator for the heavy equipment used during the Miami GP this past year. Honestly that looks really sketchy and knowing the contract teams they use for F1 they are not nearly close enough for secure barriers. For Miami the setup runs for 4-5 month and even that was pushing timetable to the point that there was discussions to make it 5-6 months for 2024. Also the distance from crash barrier to pedestrian barrier was a good 6-10 feet so I’m not sure what their plan is for Vegas GP. I do hope you have fun though and stay safe out there!

[@sabine1487]

I’m not thrilled about the Vegas GP but to be fair, I think they probably also have those view restrictions in place to prevent people from crowding on the bridges and stairs, which would definitely happen and be super unsafe.

[@ethanwatt-dz3xq]

This is also standard practice at every other race in the calendar

[@stingray1irwin0]

​@notville_spambot copying replies in every thread

[@stingray1irwin0]

@notville_ meet me in person, spam bot 🤣

[@joyanna9433]

and besides that, the track and the roads SUCK. this race is gonna be snoozefest

[@KA._.144]

its also to stop people from throwing things over the glass onto the track, and with how expensive the tickets are and given how many people would be willing to driver hours to go see it for free its ALOT of lost money if they dont block it off.

[@jaspershift]

Just here to say your dad’s quickness to agree with an, “Absolutely!” Despite not hearing you, was precious and adorable. What a sweet man. ❤

[@BeeseChoard]

As a fellow hyperfixated formula 1 fan, I'm living for this video. I love the constant team merch changes.

[@JayJay-17]

Oh my god 😮 I didn’t realize till you pointed it out 😅🤣

[@clansome]

@@JayJay-17 It was done very well and very evenly done too.

[@rboehm13]

I live in Baltimore, we had the Grand Prix of Baltimore back in September of 2011. It only lasted until 2013 because the local restaurants and stores were so angry about the race track blocking traffic from getting to their businesses. I imagine that the Las Vegas may not last too long as a host for F1…

[@porqpai7082]

Same thing happened with The Grand Prix Du Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

[@jurrassitol15]

As someone who’s gone to a few Grand Prix in both my home country (Australia) and overseas (both permanent and temporary tracks), the blocking off of viewing points isn’t new. But it seems a bit more extreme in Vegas. I’ve been the Singapore GP and Australian Grand prixs and the only places that’s I’ve seen the blocking off of viewing points is the walkways. Also those barriers do seem a lot smaller than the ones used in both Australia and Singapore. They may also be putting layers of techpro up as well…which will make the track narrower. I really do hope that it all comes together cos if it doesn’t it’s really really concerning…

[@justicewonder]

Great explanation of what's going on and pretty spot on how locals feel about it. We are a 15-20 minute get anywhere city, so this minimum 1-2 hr commutes don't make us happy when we just want to get home. This is typical Vegas construction speed, goes slow for the longest time and then speed through everything last minute , but it gets done. I will correct you on union situation. I'm not sure who told you the culinary union had a deal set already, that's inaccurate at the time of posting your video and this comment. They still haven't come to a deal, strike starting on Friday is still a possibility. They are meeting with Cesar's entertainment on Tuesday and Wednesday on MGM. Hopefully it will get worked out. Also, many places still haven't spoken to their staff on how they should be getting to work.

[@jlawless7112]

1. Please more swell f1 content! 2. You were absolutely right about this track

[@robschuder3210]

Congrats for your f1 as a local. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get my job at the coliseum, The rest of the locals aslo have no idea how they're going to get to work either. This will be interesting.

[@realtalk6195]

She's from California.

[@thinkingthinksandthonks]

Amanda you should definitely consider being a events management consultant. The topic around the impact this F1 event will have on the host community is very important. If theres no sustainable benefits to residents then it will create a negative legacy, which will backfire on the whole point of doing the event. You're absolutely spot on with your risk assessment. And with events at this scale, its so easy to overlook the little things, which will very quickly add up.

[@pearlygirl88]

Honestly, with all of her reviews and having arranged a few conferences for nonprofits myself, she’s perfect for it.

[@PeeperSnail]

Does she not already work as that?

[@jinxie8]

I totally agree with you. This is going to make casinos richer and the workers will get nothing. No one will be tipping unless it’s mandated. I’ve seen workers say they’ve been told to park A MILE AWAY and walk to work. No sir. Not unless you’re paying me for that time too. I cannot wait for the casinos to allow the strike until the absolute last second and have to cave in because they can’t find temp workers. Stay strong Vegas hospitality. Get your money.

[@strawdemindset]

Why won't anyone be tipping? This is on the hype level of Monaco and service staff who work on f1 weekend earn thousands.

[@caitlynr7295]

@@strawdemindsetbecause european tourists dont tip, i'd assume

[@FlexDRG]

​@@caitlynr7295we don't mind tipping perse. It just that we don't think we are supposed to pay for their labor. The company they work for should pay a living wage. Not the substandard, but legal through decades of lobbying, wage they get payed usually. A tip is for service above and beyond. What you are expected to pay is wage to someone that doesn't work for you.

[@caitlynr7295]

@@FlexDRG yeah the whole tipping situation in the US is stupid and employers absolutely should pay a living wage, it’s an argument that plays out among Americans about our own country all the time, but that’s unfortunately our current reality. And ultimately you’re a tourist in another country, and it’s fucking rude to stiff tipped workers. You’re not making a political statement and you aren’t going to change how the system here is set up by not tipping. You’re just going to make some waiter’s likely already bad day worse. So I support them adding the auto grat to make sure their waiters aren’t screwed over any more than they already are. Especially when any of the Europeans traveling to another continent just for a race are likely in a tax bracket that can afford to tip just fine (though idk what the attendance numbers from Europeans will be like, to be fair. I’m sure plenty aren’t going even if they like F1)

[@jonathanhaas1448]

As a Vegas resident you hit every single point spot on… thanks for putting yourself in a Vegas residents shoes.

[@databeestje]

Maybe the Monaco planning is a good indication for how fast barriers can be stood up. I believe they erect those the week before the historic grand prix, they then stay for 2 weeks (but road open for traffic) till the F1 grand prix. Thing is, they have pipes in the ground to easily place and remove them. It's possible, if prepared.

[@DeLeonHD]

Yeah, but that comes with preparations done after the first test drive (year in this case). In the other years it might improve after they learn from this one.

[@AT-zs1wo]

Feel you discussed it quite well this point but in regards to bridges and areas you drive over being blocked its the same all over Europe, my family have been going Silverstone for decades and this has always been the case to stop danger of too many cars or people being on the bridge. Ive had exclusive inner track access which is open to one hospitality area and the paddock club and even there they block off any views to avoid this :)

[@mariannevdklis]

im now both curious and scared about what would happen for when a car crashes somewhere on the strip, because it does not seem like there is a lot of room for these cars to go after they crash, like it would almost instantly mean a red flag as what it seems like from this video and what I've seen online, they would not be able to move it out of the way/back to the pit lane without blocking the entire track. and also about the fact that it is on Saturday for eu watchers, it would otherwise mean it would be Monday morning for us and with the European audience being one of the largest effectively blocking their ability to watch the race does not seem like a smart financial decision

[@rebelks88]

From what I remember of the F1 video games, lots of collateral damage

[@DuckWhisperer]

I’m very confused though. The race is on 6am Sunday for England. Which is the most west country in Europe. So why do u say it’s on Saturday for eu(I’m guessing u mean Europe and not only the European Union)

[@Outoinen]

It's the same as Monaco. Low speeds and lots of red flags.

[@mariannevdklis]

@@DuckWhisperer what i meant is that she said something about the fact of the race being held on a Saturday in vegas for eu (yes european in this context, im a lazy typer sorry) viewers when the whole race was marketed as for bringing more US viewers into the f1 audience. It could therefore be considered strange to change the whole schedule (the race not being on a sunday in vegas (its Saturday at the track when the race is held) but as i said in my comment having the race sunday evening track time would cause it to be monday morning for eu people which would not be great. This is complicated to formulate as time zones are confusing so i completely get why you didnt get my initial comment and i hope this is clearer :))

[@synthiandrakon]

You should see the monaco grand prix, the f1 is no stranger to absolutley terrifying tracks that seem way more dangerous that is necessary for style points

[@EighthSpectre]

So, in relation to the temporary barricades for the event, i believe monaco works the same way, their streets are opened up between sessions as well. Although the track there is far slower, i think that it would likely be the same at most street circuits. The barricades will be safe for drivers, staff and observers alike, but it is mototrsport and as such there is a possibility of danger involved.

[@zestraa]

Will say for the pedestrian bridges that they might be best to prevent congestion / safety problems on them. People will definitely try their best to camp out on them causing people to be stuck in various areas. Crowd crush seems imminent. At COTA when I was there they enforced the no standing zones on the bridges and covered them (even when we paid $$$$ for tickets) just out of safety

[@ShadowWolfe]

If you do a post-race commentary video about this, I'd love to see one!! This is a crossover I wasn't expecting but absolutely all for.

[@hophie.2110]

I'll be working on the strip for all of the nights the races are going and even before the races start, navigating the strip is more of a nightmare than it already is. Legit dumbest goddamn idea ever to use regular ass roads for the track when we already have a racetrack here.

[@Čangrizavi_Cinik]

Its not dumb. Its made to promote Las Vegas hotels and tourism spots. A lot of people will earn zillions dollars in a few days.

[@RippPryde]

The existing race track in Vegas isn't up to code for F1. But I totally agree that there shouldn't be a Vegas race at all. It's a stupid idea for both the city and Formula 1 tbh.

[@strawdemindset]

If the track is not long enough or up to f1 standards it wont be used, we have ALOT of street based races throughout the year including now Miami that work fine.

[@Lynizzle__]

Will you be here for the grand opening of the Durango Station Casino? It opens Monday the 20th

[@JBravoEcho09]

Did two separate accounts post the same, lame "zillions" comeback? Lol wtf

[@ellenkarlsson9490]

You are *absolutely* right to be worried! There are many examples of deadly accidents that have happened on race tracks, some where large numbers of the audience were killed or injured. The fact that the race track isn't permanent, hasn't been tested yet, and the barriers won't be set up until right before the race are major concerns. With so much money involved, I wonder if they will call the race off if they find any breaches or concerns during testing, or if they will just keep quiet and hope for the best.

[@isabellacarlo]

fun shenanigan from Austin: each of the light rig things (basically big light boards that could display simple, pixelated images- like an animation of a checkered flag) were powered by a macbook, perpetually plugged in and and always open so that the screen didn't go to sleep because the lights themselves were a screen mirror of what was on the macbook screen... needless to say, i spent a lot of time wondering what the plan was if it rained 😭 there were 100+ of these around the track

[@dubsessed9790]

Wow that is amateur level stuff. Surprising.

[@trev3971]

@@dubsessed9790 Not surprising at COTA. We're talking about a track that has been sinking since the day it was built.

[@notNajimi]

@@dubsessed9790shit dude, an amateur knows how to turn off screen dimming on inactivity. I don’t know how to use Macs but I could probably figure it out with 2 minutes of looking

[@realtalk6195]

Why not just use a cheap Chinese brand tablet?

[@_doodles01]

We need more Swell + Dad collabs! You guys are the ultimate dad/daughter duo

[@chaotickreg7024]

I'm a former lighting/staging tech and I'm trying so hard not to overanalyze this.

[@Feverm00n]

I’d be pretty interested to hear your analysis tho!

[@chaotickreg7024]

@@Feverm00n It's normal for things to be left until the last minute, especially when you're using a public place. Those cement weights are standard (I've placed them myself) but I wouldn't ever trust them to take a hit from a car. My guess is that things actually will get done in time (although with great difficulty on the fault of the organizers) and then that the track will be filled with problems. They'll probably bring in their own special barriers and a team to put them up, but I doubt it will give the racers enough room to pass or even prevent audience members from throwing things onto the track. It will be a sloppy mess done at the last second, but that's industry standard. The only part that's not normal is how hard it might interfere with the event, and I really hope they can still finish a good competitive race.

[@dojokonojo]

This video needs a sequel

[@Gravelgratious]

Swell's review of the Grand Prix is going to be a funny fandom spill out.

[@MikeydeLaraCovers]

I'm pretty excited to hear what you're gonna say now that it's done. I was in town for a while and left Thursday morning. A lot of the locals I talked to got more and more excited about the race finally coming. And despite the practice fiasco, all the negativity, and a lot of YT'ers and media stories painting it as an abject disaster, the race itself was really, REALLY fun to watch on TV. Wasn't on the ground to see all the goings on, but as a TOTAL F1 noob (I don't even watch the Netflix show), I really enjoyed it and am planning on coming to next years race.

[@Shimeih]

Never in a million years did I ever imagine F1 on swell entertainment 🙌🏽🙌🏽 what a day!!

[@erin2673]

I like that you are so passionate about F1 and also passionate about the construction. It's super nice to hear someone talk about something they really care about.

[@mxbowie6340]

I am very much looking forward to your coverage of this event, but holy crap be extra safe. That looks like danger-town.

[@pivotkid85]

swell's future child: "mom can i pleeeeeease go to the party!?" swell: 10:10

[@fabulousflaneur3826]

When they did the NASCAR race in Chicago earlier this year, they installed the barricades on Lake Shore Drive very quickly. I don't know exactly how long LSD was closed but I think it was only around 24hrs to install them. I'm 100% sure they have a plan in place to put them in quickly.

[@LogistiQbunnik]

Yeah, by now they really know what stuff to use (ready built fencing blocks that interlock and SAFER barriers etc for the higher speed parts and have been pretty good with experienced teams putting everything up in a short time.

[@dastardlydave1455]

Just to update you. I am on location looking at the piece between the Flamingo and Caesars. The racing concrete barriers with fence are along the road here, both sides of track. The advertising is already on the concrete too.

[@TheGreatChrisB]

I can't wait to see how much lap times change just over the weekend as the teams learn the track better. But I'm also worried that the street won't be strong enough to handle the force of the cars and might start rolling a bit.

[@cocojones959]

The road surface should've been checked at several stage to make sure it's adequate for racing (including hopefully manhole covers) so if they don't want to completely embarrass themselves it should be on par with other street circuits. What I'm more worried about is the constant reopening of the track after sessions. The traffic volume of the strip can't be compared with any other street circuit on the calendar which means the track won't be just green but also dirty. Combined with cold night temperature grip will be low. Then add very high speed in parts and you could end up with a weekend of attrition. Who can survive without using all their spare parts...

[@sarminder4357]

And the temperature concerns that were being discussed

[@irishkyle21]

@@sarminder4357That’s a big one, getting the tires up to temperature.

[@strawdemindset]

They resurfaced the track surface

[@Grace-ro1bc]

I attend the Las Vegas university, and because it’s right past the strip the only reasonable way to get there is through the main roads they are closing off. So my classes were effectively cancelled the week because of the understanding we cannot get to class at all.

[@patmanbnl]

I like the idea of a Saturday night race but as an east coast person find it crazy that the race is at 1am east coast time.

[@RippPryde]

It's because the European TV companies will loose a lot of advertising money if the race is on at an awkward time for the EU. F1 is growing a lot in the US but it's still massively bigger in Europe, that's where the money is. Almost all races are timed for the EU market.

[@FrauStormm]

I just got back from Vegas for my 30th birthday and Sema / Sema Fest. First time there. I was already expecting the construction so it wasn’t a huge hassle although it made walking to certain places just as long as taking an Uber / taxi when it’s usually way faster. I know locals aren’t happy about F1 being there at all. Can’t say i blame them. Traffic is already a nightmare as is. Regardless of all of that, it was still a great time. Being in Fremont for Halloween was bonkers.

[@firefly314]

I just got back from Vegas yesterday and every Uber driver talked about how they don’t plan on driving F1 weekend. We got stuck in a lot of traffic I’ve never experienced before in Vegas. Lights are timed terribly. A driver called out a bridge the construction built in three days as a bypass (scary!) lol

[@linamina3600]

The fact is that it was build in three days is only as scary as the amount of trust you have in the building company. (I get that that might not be much) But generally, depending on the type of bridge, with enough planning three days can be more than enough.

[@bananamilk1987]

Swell being a massive F1 fan is awesome and her covering this whole situation is content I didn't know I needed.

[@SKWiid_13]

I really like your comparison of Drive to Survive and the actual sport. I think the way you compared it to watching a movie, then reading the book was spot on! Theres a lot of stigma around "Drive to Survive fans" vs real "fans" and this is a great example for those of us who became interested because of netflix, and now are actual fans who make sure to go back and rewatch FP1/FP2 on a friday night because they're just that invested to the sport.

[@EvilGenius007]

It sucks that they're blocking all the views from the public walkways BUT I do feel like if they weren't doing that they would not function as walkways, and people coming in to spectate the race from outside of the ticketed areas would be at significant risk of overcrowding/crushing surges.

[@mattsharkey311]

Good afternoon. I just wanted to add the K rails that are being used also referred to as the Lego bricks interlock and are held down. In some instances by large lag bolts. They weigh approximately 4000 pounds apiece and are held together as a large unit, so one cannot move without pulling the one on either side, which intern distributes the weight throughout all of its neighbors, and also transfers, a large amount of the energy into the ground, supported by very large 1 inch bolts. the concrete blocks holding down the light stands way about 4200 pounds apiece and there are between eight and 12 of them which should be sufficient

[@maybeyourbaby6486]

The only motorsport race I've enthusiastically attended is the Isle of Man TT races, and my experience is you really don't have to worry about safety features on the track... as long as you're ok with a handful of deaths every season.

[@valeriapaz5592]

Hahahaha best comment

[@maybeyourbaby6486]

(for reference, they mostly just put up steel fences to keep the crowd out of the track with no other big safety features, and they've had 266 fatalities since 1907 - the last time they held races without someone dying was 1982, and before that, 1937.)

[@landshark3509]

My dad always wanted to race in the Isle of Man TT and I probably owe my existence to him not having the time or money to do it

[@stargirliIy]

as a vegas local, it’s been a nightmare for us. construction for this has taken months and on our busiest road in the entire city. it took me three hours to get to work one day, and i live 10 minutes away. f1 has made me consider leaving vegas after 5 years, but i hope u have fun 🫶🏻

[@PKWeaver74]

I doubt we will. The track looks shit, the championship is already decided, it's likely to be dull, dull, dull.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

I always love when you cover a topic I never expect!🙌

[@amydalton6556]

We were there for U2 during Twitchcon and When We Were Young and the whole construction was so odd. The permanent grandstands block a lot and it was so hard to walk anywhere, which is what tourists do.

[@patmanbnl]

Three cheers for civil disobedience with the people ripping off the film.

[@LCHime]

Hiya American F1 Fan here too! Checo is my favorite driver love love love him so dearly. Can't wait for this race.

[@SignalHillHiker]

I’ve got second-hand excitement for you. Hope you enjoy the race and that it goes off safely!

[@RomnysGonzalez]

RUSH is also a great starting point for people who are getting into F1. Is a at lot more hollywood representation of F1, but they did a great job making enjoyable and fun to watch and talk about the relationships between drivers,the risk of racing F1, the politics of how teams are run. Pretty good film

[@abby_dandy]

Been waiting for you to talk about this. Vegas local here. Entire city is girding its loins for the traffic and money loss 😢

[@Seniorfirstofficer]

I've attended the Australian GP since 1998 and this conversation always gets brought up. Believe me, the circuit will be done in time. As this is the first year hosting the GP yes there will be some mistakes In terms of logistics but no problem it will go ahead

[@amandas8719]

i’m so glad you decided to talk about this. me and my mom went to vegas a few weeks ago and the track raised some concerns for us

[@cordula2648]

The crossover I didn’t see coming 🤯

[@YoPham]

Pretty sure the FIA wanted a pretty-Vegas-Lights-night-race first and foremost, but making the race on a Sunday night would mean EU has to watch on a Monday morning. So they moved it to Saturday. As for runoff areas and super small track limits..feels pretty similar to Singapore so it'll probably be ok.

[@Welsh_R]

My main concern is Singapore is much warmer/humid meaning the track temperature helps the tires get in a window quickly to deal with the surface. Vegas is predicted to be 4 degrees when the race starts.

[@CrashTestPilot]

One of the general aviation KZbinrs, SoCal Fying Monkey, recently did a video about the ridiculous $3000 landing fees that are being imposed by EVERY local Vegas airport for GP weekend. Everybody be tryin' to grab them dollars. Apparently, F1 wanted to put that one way film on all bars, restaurants, and suites facing the track. Then failing that, tried to shake down all the bars for a flat fee per head. It's gross.

[@SixOThree]

Do they do this in other street races like Monaco?

[@Nathan-qc4gz]

This is my first year vaguely paying attention to f1, but I can tell you're a true fan when talking about the barriers. When people talk about driver safety with such passion, you know they're a real fan!!

[@doctorbone3655]

You have the energy of a Charles Leclerc enjoyer (compliment). I hope you have fun at the race in spite of..... everything.

[@Noone76590]

Omg I’m so stoked for your coverage of this. I love f1 and your commentary so I’m very curious to see what you think of all of it!

[@servingcant]

Finding out Swell loves F1 makes me so happy…

[@TheFreezer33]

I got into it this year, and it has been amazing. I started watching because of binging Drive to Survive, I haven't missed watching a race weekend. It has been great. It is a lot of fun to watch.

[@tayfay909]

Hyped to maybe say hi to you at the Vegas GP!! Also lowkey important to me à an old school F1 fan that some race weekends are Practice-Quali-Race and the annoying weekends are Practice-Sprint-Race. Personally not a fan of sprint weekends as they generally predict race outcomes but interested if anyone feels differently and why?

[@mariannevdklis]

i do like the concept of sprint races as it basically provides two chances for a driver to score points so like small moment for redemption if you messed up one of the qualis but i definitely agree they should change the way it works next year (maybe reverse qualifying order, or something similar to what they do in f1 academy's 2nd race where they partially reverse the order, that would also get rid of the need for sprint shootouts which i think helps in the weekend layout as well)

[@kyamaldinihill]

I feel the same. Sprint takes the fun out of it a lot lol. You can almost guarantee what would happen on race day. I feel like if they still wanna keep the sprint, there should be a change in its system (maybe look at how MotoGP does it?). But then again, one of the main reasons they do Sprint is to generate more spectacle which means more money so yeah idk. But I really feel you.

[@cocojones959]

I agree that barring weather changes it gives us a good idea how everyone stacks (seeing parc fermée). Main reason for it is of course higher viewership and attendance on Friday i.e. more money.

[@GoldieBoots]

Sprints are fun if you are there watching the race live in person but to watch it on TV it is a little boring now and I wish they would bring it back as a qualifying format and not an entirely separate event.

[@RedRhino49]

This video aged like wine

[@ddlynightshade]

I have been into F1 since drive to survive started. I pay for F1 tv every year so I can watch. And I have a couple of thoughts... 1st, never underestimate the power of the tire and tekpro(sp?) Barriers that are used. I can understand the concerns about the surface itself being strong enough. Also, check the castle section of Baku, that stuff is thiiiiin. 2nd, for Monaco they actually open the city back up in the evenings, so I know they can quickly get this stuff in place and take down quickly. Of course, Monaco is also flooded with the richest people in the world, so there is that. I hope you have a blast! Grand Prix is on my bucket list.

[@magicvibrations5180]

I remember it was like this with Saudi Arabia too. A week out from the race the paddock still looked really unfinished, they were still surfacing the track, etc., but it seemed like they made it in time.

[@NOTKaidenS]

I am actually so excited you're talking about this because I just got into f1 this year, and it also has taken over my life in an unhealthy way

[@lucyloving1Direction]

The fact that you're a formula 1 fan too just made me audibly say yay outloud! and I thought you couldn't get cooler

[@iliketreesalot]

Awesome video! I also think it might be a mess but I have some insight! So I was at the Montreal GP track 3 weeks out for the race and it looked TERRIBLE! Peeling paint, faded signs, trash, etc. Same thing you noticed, only 5 feet between the cement barrier and the grandstand scaffolding. And in some areas the track is only as wide as a two lane road with barriers hugging it tightly. I was shocked. Nothing was up aside from their permit things like a few of the grandstands, some scaffolding bridges and the paddock. When race day came, it looked completely different! So hopefully it's the same with Vegas and hopefully some smart people have properly calculated what kind of barriers to add where and how much distance is needed. The other thing I will add, I had the same thoughts as you about blocking views at first. But if they don't block views on bridges and the general use roads they are guaranteed to have heavy traffic, extreme overcrowding, injuries etc. Those bridges would be completely blocked 24/7 and cars would stop in traffic just to watch the race. So for safety, I think they have to block those views. Anyway, can't wait for your review of the race in a few weeks!

[@nerdoftheatre]

I love hearing about absolutely crazy topics from you that I've literally never heard about before. Keep it up! Enjoying the content! 😁

[@amy1160]

Been seeing your f1 tweets for a while so I'm happy you're doing a video about this race, I can't wait for your Grand Prix breakdown when you come back from the race

[@BorkyBuns]

"It's kind of like seeing a movie without reading the book, but then the movie makes you wanna read the book, but then you read the book and then you no longer like the movie because you realize the book is better." Yes, perfect analogy! DTS is how I got introduced to F1, and after learning so much more about the sport I can completely understand why most of the drivers and older fans hate the show 😅

[@CHOCKO895]

Would love to watch it live on TV. But not from 1:00 to 3:30 am here in NYC

[@allyeeson7072]

i am SO excited you're into f1 now and always look forward to hearing what you have to say about it. i definitely think this GP is going to be a mess (hopefully not too much of a safety hazard for the drivers though yikes) but at least it will look sick under the lights lol also happy birthday :)

[@Michaeljs317]

Hey! Actual former race track designer here who's worked a bit on a recent F1 project. This is such a crazy crossover for me lol. While I think it's normal to be worried about the last minute-ness of everything, from experience I'd say this is pretty normal with this kind of project. All the designs for barrier locations have to meet strict regulations and will have been signed off by the FIA months ago. The FIA will also have to inspect the track in its finished state and will only give the go ahead if what is built matches the design, and they will also not be afraid to request last minute changes if the drivers feel anything is unsafe. The barriers you show at 17:49 are indeed the ones that are used across all street circuits and they are perfectly safe. They are all linked together and they do NOT move a lot (a little bit of movement can actually be helpful to dissipate energy in a crash). In areas where there are risks of head on impacts there's always additional energy absorbing barriers installed. The layout should be designed in a way that requires the minimum amount of barriers needing to be moved to reopen the roads during the weekend. The only question is if they manage to get it all in place in time to pass an inspection before practice starts lol

[@mckinleyt98]

(noting that i know nothing about F1 specifically) my inclination for big productions like this is to believe that any potential safety concern i could spot has already been spotted by 10 experts who worked on it, and is probably accounted for in some way i don’t know about. unfortunately that is far from the case all the time, but it’s just something i like to keep in mind that helps keep anxiety down for me

[@bassemb]

You're telling me we could have got a video of you driving a supercar on track? That's awesome, I hope we get to see that at a later point.

[@Oreolorun]

I dont understand how Vegas is making it look this difficult, we see Baku, Monaco and it doesn't look this worrying. Hopefully it all goes well

[@marquisehebbler9471]

To be fair this is the first year vegas is doing it. There’s bound to be kinks to work out

[@Oreolorun]

@@marquisehebbler9471 i agree that the first time isn't easy I just think they did not do proper research because they have left too many things this late

[@Failary]

Belle isle and St Petersburg and Long Beach figure it out. I’m sure it’ll be fine

[@sarminder4357]

Monaco has been doing it for decades and the people there are used to it. Plus I'm sure most of them don't mind having the roads taking them to work being closed like the Vegas locals do since a lot of the people residing on the area where the Monaco GP takes place are rich.

[@andreasaintmartin7590]

Hey Amanda! I love your videos, especially this one because i'm also a F1 fan and a sports reporter who actually covers the Mexico GP on track. I think your concerns are really valid, from the safety of the FIA to the way they are not allowing locals to have a peek of the race (but have to pay with their taxes). As an international fan, we all feel 3 races in the USA is way to many. Also, a lot of international fans don't really care about the glits and show their putting in Vegas if the track really doesn't offer a good race. That was exactly what happened in Miami, a race a lot of fans think it's a waste of time. So I really hope everything works amazing for Vegas and they really exced expectations (on site, but also during the broadcast). If they don't do it, this will be a nightmare for everybody :/

[@paolofigueroa1459]

I just wanted to come back to this video after Carlos Sainz hit a manhole cover in the first free practice

[@rafaelabreu-canedo6698]

Surprised to see your video commenting on F1. Very cool! I grew up watching Senna. And you called it, not fully ready, with FP1 incidents

[@Slowplaymae]

Well, now I’m both highly curious/ready to hyperfixate on F1. And have so so much anxiety about how close the track is to the spectator areas…

[@xoluciaxo_3721]

It’s a lot of fun, in my opinion. I thought i would never like it, because i don’t even LIKE cars, but now i’m obsessed😂 While very dramatised, Drive To Survive is a fun watch

[@elizabethpage_]

@@xoluciaxo_3721same. My dad has always been a HUGE F1 fan and I never understood why until I finally started sitting down to watch races with him. Couldn’t care less about cars and yet I tune in each weekend to see the race lol

[@kraiken04]

I'm in the other 40%. And i didn't took you for a Motorsport fan. Welcome to the club🔥🔥

[@UhOphelia]

Somebody is gonna get hurt 100%. Either a crash is going to happen and everything is going to collapse due to bad building, or there's gonna be crowd crush/riot.

[@noellemly]

if it does make you feel a bit better, the nascar chicago street race also had some of its most high-pressure corners be temporary barriers, and those lasted through one hell of a rain race

[@AllStarrKo]

Swell x F1 is my fave unexpected crossover lol

[@AdrianaMIpock]

Right? I love it

[@elizabethpage_]

Honestly for some reason, Swell loving F1 just makes so much sense to me lol

[@AllStarrKo]

@@elizabethpage_ ikrr

[@odubaivey5251]

My wife and I will be at the race in Vegas and I’m not expecting it to be perfect but I’m still excited to be attending my first race in person