To say the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix is a massive undertaking is an equally massive understatement. This year’s race has been in the works since the first iteration in 2023 wrapped, and the anticipation is certainly revving up as the weekend of Nov. 21 through 23 is fast approaching.
Turn 3 Club is located in the East Harmon Zone by Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, situated between turns three and four. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
The Formula 1 brand has emphasized fostering local connections and relationships to build one of the city’s most thrilling events, the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, including partnering with Las Vegas-based event design and production company Blueprint Studios. It’s undeniably a team effort. Alvin Young, Las Vegas Grand Prix Inc. AVP of food and beverage; Ashley Goodhue-White, Las Vegas Grand Prix Inc. senior vice president of event production and Grand Prix Plaza general manager; and Mircea Manea, Blueprint Studios co-founder and principal, gave us a sneak preview of three impressive Grand Prix hospitality spaces and shared the importance of providing guests with an only-in-Vegas experience that speaks to the heart of the hospitality-driven city.
The Skybox bar serves Prohibition-era cocktails and more. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
“Blueprint is an incredible fabrication and design company,” Goodhue-White shares. “Our team comes up with our initial vision boards, we bring to the table what we are looking to accomplish, and then Blueprint basically helps us bring it to life. They’ve been a wonderful partner of ours. The sheer amount of fabrication and product that they have to have in order to facilitate all of our secondary hospitality is a massive undertaking. So we are grateful... that we can rely on [them] for such a large undertaking, and they’re a great local company that really has been a partner of ours since day one.” Blueprint’s team of over 300 fabricates the incredible high-end venues enjoyed by ticket holders, including luxury hospitality space Skybox, which is back for its second year, and two new club hospitality experiences, Turn 3 Club and Club Overtake.
“I had the chance to go and experience the [Formula 1] race in other countries... as an event designer, and I was like, ‘We can do this better,’” Manea says. “This is an amazing race. ... It’s new to the country, in a way, so there are a lot of newcomers to the sport and people who are just exploring this for the first time. Also, you have the diehards who go around and travel [to different races]. So we had the challenge of introducing this to newcomers, from our point of view, and also creating a [reputation] that [the Las Vegas Grand Prix] is the best event.”
Skybox offers a luxury, Rat Pack-inspired atmosphere at the starting grid and finish line. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
Skybox is a two-story luxury hospitality experience situated at the starting grid and finish line, above the Heineken Silver Main Grandstand, with prime terrace views. “Skybox is really a nod to the history of Las Vegas and the Rat Pack era, and bringing to life and modernizing it a touch because we need to make sure that it aligns with our vision,” Goodhue-White says. Skybox includes interactive gourmet food stations, Prohibition-era cocktails, access to the Heineken Silver Stage (with headliners Snakehips, Big Boi and Vandelux) and more.
Turn 3 Club preview at Blueprint Studios. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
As for Turn 3 Club and Club Overtake, Young shares what delightful bites and sips guests can expect during the weekend. “We have a huge local component to club hospitality, which includes food caterer Cut and Taste and beverage caterer Events With A Twist,” he shares. “[After] many trials and tastings and rigorous training, we felt compelled that they are the best offering for club hospitality.” From mirin-glazed langoustine and crispy pork belly sourdough focaccia to a specialty pomegranate margarita made with Volcan de Mi Tierra tequila and a logoed Belvedere F1 espresso martini, the F&B program promises to entice. Turn 3 Club is located in the largest F1 Fan Zone, the East Harmon Zone by Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, and positioned between turns three and four before the Koval Straightaway. Guests will enjoy complimentary food and beverages, F1 simulators, the pit stop challenge (among other interactive activations) and access to the Heineken Silver Stage. “Turn 3 Club is geared toward the motor sport fan,” Goodhue-White adds. “So, as you come in, you’ll see car parts and 3D elements of car parts on the walls, and it really brings to life the Las Vegas Grand Prix brand.”
Club Overtake showcases Las Vegas nightlife with DJs and unique food and beverage offerings. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
Club Overtake, on the other hand, is located in the South Koval Zone by Heineken, with terrace views of the cars speeding down the Koval Straightaway. “Club Overtake is a nod to the Vegas nightlife scene and how we bring that to life, tied in with the Las Vegas Grand Prix brand, and just really creating that party space inside of hospitality, which is such a unique thing,” Goodhue-White says. “It’s like high-end hospitality, but enhancing it with the party component, the nightlife component, that only Vegas can offer.” Club Overtake brings the Vegas party vibes with an all-inclusive bar, delicious bites and nightly live entertainment including a lineup of DJs.
Specialty libations include the Belvedere F1 espresso martini, Belvedere Spiced Pear, Volcan de Mi Tierra pomegranate margarita and Hennessy tart cherry sour. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
For those looking for the ultimate F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, Garage experiences take it to the next level. “The highest-end ticket that we have is referred to as our Garage hospitality,” Goodhue-White shares. “Our Garage hospitality is a trackside garage—like you are truly in what would otherwise be a Formula 1 garage—and they are fitted out and just these incredible spaces. They’re brought to you by celebrity chefs and celebrity restaurant groups that bring this incredible level of hospitality. With that level of hospitality, you also have the most incredible and truly authentic Formula 1 experience. And Las Vegas Grand Prix really prides itself on being so creative with those spaces. So we’ve partnered this year with Gordon Ramsay and Papi Steak, and guests can purchase directly into those garages at this point and have, in my opinion, a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience through these spaces.”
A view from Skybox during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
Young adds that chef Ramsay will return this year but with an even more elevated program comprised of three different segments, one for each night of the race. “Gordon Ramsay wants to show off with three different offerings, the first one being a guest chef-driven environment, where they’re interactive, they have fun with the attendees,” he shares. “The second night, we’re taking in Lucky Cat, an Asian-influenced London restaurant that is well known [for] things like the bao bun station, wok stations and all the interactive experiences. And then, last but not least, they’ve taken into consideration the best of the best from the United Kingdom. They have the tomahawk carving stations; they have the petite Wellingtons. They’ve taken a lot into consideration to make sure that the attendees of Ramsay’s Garage have a different experience every single time.”
Live entertainment at Club Overtake. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
The impressive combination of high-end food and beverage, exciting entertainment options, celebrity appearances and premium hospitality only Vegas can deliver, all against the backdrop of the thrilling Grand Prix race, wouldn’t be possible without the hospitality venues fabricated by Blueprint Studios’ dedicated team. “It’s a team effort,” Manea emphasizes. “This project takes six months to a year to produce and design, and at the end of the day, it takes a village to bring this to life. These are massive productions, and we are local, so it’s not only our company but the community of companies. F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix was very gracious to look for local resources to really make this a local event, and it was definitely a learning process for all of us, but we are happy now to elevate it in year No. 2.”
Photography by: COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX INC.
