• A new F1 karting attraction in Las Vegas recreates the experience of driving in the city’s grand prix.
• Karts go 30 miles per hour, and the course includes a sliver of track form the real grand prix circuit.
• The experience is open to kids and adults starting in early May.

The training wheels are off. Entering year three of Formula 1 racing, Las Vegas is fully embracing its place as a grand prix city with a new interactive attraction. Race fans visiting Sin City will soon be able to experience the thrills of high-speed karting at a new track debuting in May. 

Las Vegas hosted its first grand prix in 2023, and the night race has become an over-the-top spectacle with drivers speeding down the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip and curling past the iconic Sphere. Now fans can experience some of that excitement for themselves.  

At F1 Drive, visitors can get behind the wheel of a custom-made kart that features Drag Reduction System technology and an LED steering wheel display that records data like lap times and interval gaps between fellow racers as they reach speeds in the ground-hugging karts that feel faster than their 30 mile per hour max.  

And to make the experience as real as possible, drivers will hear engine sounds recorded from the 2023 Formula 1 season and receive live radio communications from a virtual Race Engineer inside their helmets providing track updates and overtaking strategies as if they’re really racing. 

Drivers can choose from three race packages. Mixed Grid is ideal for beginners or families, allowing children 12 years or older to take part in two 15-minute sessions at lower speeds ($79), while the Elite Experience lets racers hit full speeds in two 15-minute track sessions and includes a podium celebration for the top three finishers ($99). A third Fastest Lap option is a timed race where drivers can attempt to beat their personal best.   

The challenging 1,696-foot course has 31 turns with both indoor and outdoor sections including a sliver of track on the actual grand prix circuit. F1 Drive is the first attraction of its kind in North America. It will open May 2.  

“These new experiences are as close to an F1 race one can get without being a professional driver,” attraction producer and co-CEO of Round Room Live Jonathan Linden said in a press release. “There was no better place to do it than the home of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the grid, this is an inside look at what makes F1 a global phenomenon–with plenty of thrills along the way.”

F1 Drive is part of the new 39-acre Grand Prix Plaza–a space with three ticketed attractions, interactive exhibits, a gift store and restaurant. In addition to a realistic driving simulation, fans can explore the history of Formula 1 in an artifact-filled museum, build their own race car in the design studio, and take part in a Pit Wall Challenge making race decisions on tire changes, pit stops, and team tactics in a fast-paced simulation. 

F1 Drive debuts May 2 at the Grand Prix Plaza. It will be open Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight. Tickets are available at GrandPrixPlaza.com.