The Women Powering the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Shaping Formula 1's Future

The Las Vegas Grand Prix has quickly become one of the most recognizable races on the F1 calendar – if not one of the premier sporting events in the United States. The lights and sounds of the Las Vegas Strip, coupled with a spectacular night race has helped redefine what a modern Formula 1 race weekend can look like.

Behind the spectacle is something less visible, but just as important: a leadership structure that looks very different from much of those in motorsport's history. Women hold many of the key leadership roles in the Las Vegas Grand Prix Organization.

From operations and hospitality to race control and the CEO of the race itself, the event has built a structure where female leaders help drive nearly every part of the race forward. For a sport that has historically been male-dominated, the team behind LVGP reflects how quickly the culture of motorsport is evolving.

Grand Prix on SI chatted with the President and CEO, Emily Prazer (also Chief Commercial Officer of Formula 1) and the VP of Sporting and Race Operations, Silvia Bellot, to highlight this women-led team and how to continue to drive progress forward in motorsport in honor of International Women's Day.

Leading the Charge

At the center of the Las Vegas Grand Prix leadership is Emily Prazer, who operates in two of the most influential roles in sport... serving as the CEO of LVGP while also holding a position on the C-Suite team of Formula 1 itself. She helps guide the sport's partnerships, brand strategy, and growth around the globe.

Emily Prazer, F1 — Emily Prazer Headshot F1 | Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc

As one of the most highly placed women in the Formula 1 sphere as a whole, Prazer serves as a figurehead to what is possible for women everywhere, even if not always in the spotlight.

"I’m very aware that my role adds visibility on a global stage, especially in a sport where female leadership is still emerging. The most powerful thing we can do is demonstrate what’s possible by doing the work, supporting one another and delivering at the highest standard.”
Emily Prazer

Prazer has accomplished a lot in her tenure in Formula 1 leadership, bringing the grand prix from concept to reality in its fourth year of running sitting at the top of that list. This, of course, includes building a team around her. Across the organization, women lead many of the departments powering race weekend.

Here are just a few of the women who make up the Las Vegas Grand Prix Leadership Team:

Lauren Flint- Senior Vice President of Operations
Lori Nelson-Kraft - Senior Vice President of Community Affairs
Samantha Rayburn - Vice President of Experiental Operations
Alli England - Vice President of Premium Ticket Sales & Services
Ashley Elmore - Vice President of Human Resources
Kristina Crunk - Chief of Staff
Silvia Bellot - Vice President of Sporting and Race Operations

Prazer says the strong female presence across leadership roles developed organically as the team expanded.

"We’ve created a culture where women champion each other and leadership diversity feels not exceptional, but completely normal. Las Vegas Grand Prix has always been women-led, and as a result, we’ve organically built an organization where women hold many of the top executive and mid-management roles. It’s never been about filling a role with a woman. It’s about having the absolute best people in the room."
Emily Prazer

She added a poignant statement that should resonate across women throughout all of motorsport, one that Hannah Schmitz of Red Bull Racing also shared with Grand Prix on SI in an earlier conversation.

“When you normalize women leading at the highest levels, gender stops being the headline and excellence becomes the expectation.”
Emily Prazer

From the Pit Wall to Race Control

While Prazer oversees the commercial and strategic side of the event, Silvia Bellot operates at the center of the sporting side of the race.

As Vice President of Sporting and Race Operations for LVGP, Bellot oversees on-track operations and works alongside the FIA governing body as well as race control to ensure the track action runs smoothly.

Bellot's resume speaks for itself: More than two decades in motorsport. The first female steward in Formula 1. The first woman to serve as an FIA Race Director. And it all started at just 16 years old when she began volunteering as a track marshal in Barcelona.

“When I got started in Formula 1 20 years ago, there weren’t many women in race stewarding and track operations. I never imagined it could turn into a full-time career."
Silvia Bellot

Today, a full-time career has not only led her to lead track operations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but she is also the Race Director for F1 Academy. The latter role staying true to her roots as a trailblazer in motorsport, with F1 Academy designed to create clearer pathways for women into professional motorsport.

Although the Las Vegas Grand Prix itself takes place across just three days each November, Bellot says the work behind the event continues year-round and compounds with her duties to F1 Academy, a series that she feels passionately about.

"The more female talent we help get into cars, the closer we get to seeing a woman back racing in Formula 1 at the highest level. I take the responsibility very seriously that there might be a young woman out there right now watching what I do [as well and realizing she could have a place in this sport too. That makes me proud on International Women’s Day."
Silvia Bellot

For Bellot, the most meaningful part of that work is the example it may set for others entering the sport... a sport whose demographics have dramatically shifted in the past decade or less.

Beyond the Las Vegas event itself, leaders like Emily Prazer see a shift happening across the entire sport – she has witnessed the fan base evolve rapidly first-hand.

"We know women make up a significant portion of our fan base and continue to be one of the fastest growing demographics in the sport. That momentum underscores just how important representation is — both on track with F1 ACADEMYand off the track in the way we show up for fans through partnerships, merchandise collaborations and the overall brand experience."
Emily Prazer

The growth and demographic shifts reinforce why representation matters throughout the leadership shaping the sport, creating more visible pathways for women to participate at every level.

Doriane Pin, Mercedes, F1 Academy | F1 Academy

According to Prazer, continuing that momentum ultimately comes down to three things: representation, access, and visibility.

As the Las Vegas Grand Prix continues to establish itself as one of Formula 1’s marquee events, the women helping lead the race weekend offer a clear example of how the culture of motorsport is evolving both on and off track.