F1 News: Las Vegas Grand Prix To Abandon F1 Tradition Due To "Sensitive" History
As the Las Vegas Grand Prix inches closer to its inaugural Formula 1 run, it has decided to abandon an F1 tradition by ditching the name 'Paddock' due to a sensitive history that is attached to the name in the region.
The night race on the Las Vegas Street Circuit is the first race to be promoted and organized by Liberty Media. Expecting a huge turnout, the event is going to be one of the largest in F1 history. After all, it is set to be the meeting point of the world's fastest motorsport and the entertainment capital of the world.
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Coming back to the word 'paddock' which has been used in motorsport for a long time, originally deriving from the racehorse world used to refer to the place where racehorses gather before the race.
However, organizers of the Las Vegas GP have decided that the name should not be used during the race weekend. A replacement term is yet to be announced. Meanwhile, a spokesperson said the organizers will be using the term 'Pit Building' temporarily.
The Reason
The reason for the name change dates back to an incident from 2017 when a man named Stephen Paddock opened fire on people at a festival on the Las Vegas Strip, killing 60 and injuring 867 others.
Since then, the term paddock has become sensitive as a result of its difficult history. A spokesperson for the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix told GPFans:
“The Las Vegas Grand Prix empathises with this sensitive topic in the community, and as such has always intended to announce an alternate name for our complex that will feature F1 activations, food & beverage, merchandise stores, event space and more throughout the year.
"The Las Vegas Grand Prix empathises with this sensitive topic in the community, and as such has always intended to announce an alternate name for our complex that will feature F1 activations, food & beverage, merchandise stores, event space and more throughout the year."
