P1racenews AI automatic summary:
This coming weekend, the F1 circus descends on Las Vegas. However, this is not the first time the royal class has raced in Sin City; the Sin City was also on the calendar in 1981 and 1982. However, the event went down ingloriously.
In the 1970s, Bernie Ecclestone began to take control of Formula 1 and turned it into a billion-dollar business by selling TV rights. This led to increased popularity and more venues wanting to host races. Eventually, a deal was made to hold a race in Las Vegas starting in 1981 at the Caesars Palace hotel. However, the race track was small and had a cramped circuit design, leading to criticism from the drivers. During the first edition of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, several drivers suffered from extreme neck pain due to the anti-clockwise layout and desert heat. Despite the challenges, Nelson Piquet won the World Championship by just one point. The race returned in 1982 but was moved to a different date and conflicted with an IndyCar race. Eventually, Keke Rosberg became the 1982 Drivers’ Champion with a fifth-place finish.
