F1’s Grand Prix Plaza races back to life with plenty of upgrades

Grand Prix Plaza once again has the green flag.

The Formula One attraction reopened Jan. 30 with new exhibits, a new selection of racing memorabilia and a new track layout for its F1 Drive karting experience.

“A lot of people will be amazed when they come in,” general manager Benjamin Larvie says.

He had plenty of time to think about those improvements over the past few months. When Grand Prix Plaza closed at the end of September to prepare for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, every trace of the attraction had to be removed, down to some of its walls. During race week, the lower level of the sprawling facility houses the team garages, while the rest is used for hospitality via the Paddock Club.

The rebuild began Dec. 8 and incorporated a new racing layout that begins in the garage space and goes outside onto part of the Las Vegas Grand Prix course. The new design created more opportunities to overtake other drivers.

“We advertise that it goes out on the track,” Larvie says, “but we found a lot of people love that they’re actually in F1 garages during the drive.”

Signage from last year’s race remains intact, so guests always know which driver’s garage space they’re in.

The interactive F1 X experience includes an array of racing suits and helmets, as well as new-to-the-attraction cars from its partnership with the Petersen Automotive Museum. Among them are the 1987 Lotus 99T that Ayrton Senna drove to two wins and eight podiums, the 1994 Williams FW15D F1 driven in preseason testing by Senna and Damon Hill and the 1999 Ferrari F399 driven by Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo.

Elsewhere in F1 X, the 4D theater has been improved, with footage that drops viewers inside various cars during the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix thanks to moving seats, wind effects and the smell of burning rubber.

Pro tip: If you design your own livery during F1 X, put some real effort into it. The result will be projection-mapped onto a car at one point, and you can pose for photos with it.

“The other thing we really worked on was our pit stop challenge. It became a fan favorite,” Larvie says.

“My favorite memory of 2025 was walking through the hallways and hearing these screams. I went running to where the screams were, and it was this bachelorette group all in high heels trying to put on a tire, just screaming and having so much fun. And that’s when it hit home, like, ‘Wow, this is really something for everyone.’ ”

Finally, the F1 Hub offers food and drinks, including specialty cocktails, simulators that put drivers through the paces of the Las Vegas Grand Prix track, and the flagship retail store with the country’s largest selection of official Formula One merchandise. An APXGP show car from “F1 the Movie” is newly displayed in the store.

Tickets aren’t required for entry. Larvie says plenty of fans just want to see the building where everything happens during race weekend.

“You can come and shop in the retail shop. You can come and hang out at the bar. See the track,” he says. “Many people come for the photo ops. And we encourage that. We love the sport, and we want to share it.”

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.