Sports Stars, Celebs Flock to F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix drawing plenty of A-listers to week of festivities.

Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Formula One races are magnets for A-list celebrities and performers. This week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is no exception. 

— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) November 13, 2023

Max Verstappen has already clinched F1’s 2023 World Driver’s Championship, but that won’t dim the excitement - or the betting action - for F1’s first true road race in Las Vegas. Besides, half the fun of Formula One races is people watching. And there will be plenty of celebrities attending this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.  

EGOT winner John Legend and world-renowned DJ Tiësto will headline the opening ceremony on Wednesday. They will be joined by Andra Day, Keith Urban, Bishop Briggs, Journey, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Steve Aoki, will.i.am, Swedish House Mafia, and J Balvin.  

Sports Illustrated has transformed Margaritaville at the Flamingo into Club SI for race weekend, with David Beckham and Shaquille O’Neal as hosts. Meanwhile, models Nicole English and Brooks Nadar will be kicking off SI’s Swimsuit Party. Actor, comedian, and race enthusiast Dax Shepard will host Eff Won with DRS Podcast live from the venue.  

“I consider myself lucky to have fallen in love with F1 at the exact moment it began expanding into the USA. I can’t think of a better way to show off the drama, the glitz, glamor, and performance of F1 than ripping down the Las Vegas Strip at over 200 mph,” Shepard said. He added, he can’t wait for the “rowdy race fans in Vegas.” 

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez will be hosting a poker tournament, benefiting the non-profit Eastern Congo Initiative. Mark Wahlberg is hosting parties at Drai’s nightclub. Meanwhile, celebrity chefs Nobu Matsuhisa, Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri and Giada De Laurentiis will preside over numerous dinner events.  

Vegas has always attracted top talent for limited-run residencies. As a result, attendees might catch the likes of Keith Urban, Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow at their Sin City venues during race weekend.   

Las Vegas’ latest attraction, the Sphere, will also host a slew of international entertainers during race weekend. The Sphere’s lineup includes the Colombian singer J Balvin, Jamaican American DJ trio Major Lazer, British born DJ Mark Ronson, Canadian DJ A-Trak, Australian singing sensation Kylie Minogue, Rock and Roll and Songwriter Hall of Famer Nile Rogers & Chic, Korean American DJ Tokimonsta, and Siobhan Bell, the founder of London’s DJ collective, Work It.  

But the real fun for attendees will be the off-chance sightings of celebrities who are just there to enjoy the race. For instance, October’s United States Grand Prix in Austin drew the likes of Prince Harry, Drew Barrymore, Adam Driver, Joe Jonas, Elon Musk, Rachel Brosnahan, golfer Rory McIlroy, boxer Anthony Joshua, and sprinter Dina Asher-Smith. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt and Geri Horner “Ginger Spice” attended the British Grand Prix in July. Just don't expect to run into any drivers at the Vegas casinos.

Prince Harry spotted in the Mercedes garage ��#USGP#F1pic.twitter.com/UqzkC6GleB

— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) October 22, 2023