F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Potentially Marred by Litigation

As Formula 1’s plans to host a Grand Prix in Las Vegas are beginning to crystallize, litigation looms over the upcoming race.

F1 owner Liberty Media is engaged in litigation against a businessman who claims he has jurisdiction over event promotion, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

• Miami-based businessman Farid Shidfar and former Las Vegas politician Chad Christensen allegedly had plans to ink a contract to promote a Las Vegas race with F1’s former owner.
• Liberty Media, however, claims that the company the two men started to promote the race — called P2M Motorsports — never legally obtained rights to it.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its advertising firm are “caught in the middle” of the dispute, the Review-Journal reported.

Road to Vegas

The last time Las Vegas hosted an F1 race was in 1982. Now, a Grand Prix will return over Thanksgiving weekend in 2023. 

It will be the third U.S.-based race as the league continues to grow its American fanbase.

F1 made a formal announcement on March 31, about a week after Front Office Sports first reported the development. FOS also previously obtained a preliminary plan for the 3.8-mile track, which will feature 14 turns and a 1.2-mile stretch down the Las Vegas Strip.