Formula 1 has been subject to a lot of criticism for its handling of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Things have gotten to the point where even NASCAR drivers and insiders have called out the world’s most popular motorsports competition. However, when a Team Penske driver raised a rather unusual concern, Denny Hamlin came to F1’s rescue, shutting down his fellow Cup Series driver.

Despite all the challenges faced by the main attraction of the weekend, Denny Hamlin is seemingly having a gala time at the Las Vegas GP. From celebrating his birthday near to venue to meeting one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, the 43-year-old is enjoying life in the Sin City.

Denny Hamlin comes to Formula One’s rescue

However, that might not be the case for everyone. The Las Vegas GP has caused massive problems for the residents of Las Vegas. Traffic and connectivity have been a nightmare. These are all legitimate concerns that have been raised. So when a fellow Cup Series driver spoke about something that was not as serious, Denny Hamlin was having none of it.

As per a recent report in Autoweek, Team Penske driver Austin Cindric compared the ‘value for money’ for F1 and NASCAR tickets. Cindric said that while a general ticket in NASCAR gave the holder a chance to meet drivers and get an autograph, there was simply no chance of that happening in Formula 1.

“You buy a general admission ticket (at NASCAR), and you can come take a selfie with your favorite driver and get an autograph nine times out of 10, whereas if I go to [a] Formula 1 race, I’m never seeing Lewis Hamilton,” the 25-year-old said.

Cindric has a point. Unless one has a paddock pass, they can’t get access to where the drivers are. However, as far as Denny Hamlin is concerned, there are two sides of every coin.

Hamlin tweeted on the matter, “Double edge sword. If something is easy to get it’s usually not very valuable.” Hamlin himself has met Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Las Vegas GP. He had uploaded a story on Instagram of him speaking with the 7-time world champion, captioning it “Ham fam.”

The 43-year-old believes that the 2023 Las Vegas GP can be a good thing for motorsports as a whole.

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Joe Gibbs’ star explains the positive impact of the chaotic Las Vegas GP

According to Autoweek, the 43-year-old believes that the Formula One event can draw in a decent crowd of first-time race-goers, whose interest in motorsports could very well be raised. F1’s popularity in the States shot up thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive, and that is quite evident given the turnout at the season’s penultimate race in Vegas.

“When I say convenient, I mean it’s right here in the States in a heavily populated area. You’ve got the whole West Coast. And if there’s just a handful—10, 12— people that go to that and then say, ‘When the NASCAR race comes to Vegas, I’m going to go to my very first NASCAR race,’ then that’s a good thing. I certainly think that there will be some of that that goes on, just because of people experiencing motorsports for the first time,” the JGR man said.

Will the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix be able to get people in the States even more invested in motorsports? What are your thoughts?

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