SMART MONEY IS ON VEGAS GRAND PRIX

FORMULA ONE’S dream of staging an iconic grand prix in Las Vegas moved closer to reality over the weekend with the sport’s bosses sitting down for talks with the local movers and shakers. Sportsmail understands representatives from Nevada met F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali during the successful US Grand Prix in Austin with an eye on adding the new race to the calendar as early as 2023. The Vegas delegation were taken behind the scenes to see how the event is run. They could only have been encouraged by Sunday’s crowd of 140,000 watching an exciting race won by Max Verstappen, who extended his lead over Lewis Hamilton to 12 points with five rounds left. Nevada governor Steve Sisolak confirmed: ‘I’ve had the chance to speak to F1 leaders and I appreciate their time.’ There are several hurdles to be cleared. One is F1’s insistence on staging the race on the famous Strip. Holding a third race in America for the first time since 1982 is a stated ambition of F1 owners Liberty Media.