F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone said that "he has been invited to Las Vegas to meet with race organizers who are planning a Grand Prix on the streets of the city," according to AUTO WEEK. Ecclestone "is in discussions about hosting a street race in Vegas on a track that would include the city’s famous Strip." The project "is understood to be at an advanced stage," as a senior auto racing source in the U.S. said that F1 track designer Hermann Tilke "has visited Vegas several times to design the layout of the course." Ecclestone has now added that "the next step is for him to make a visit" before the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas next weekend. Ecclestone: “There is a consortium in Las Vegas that wants to arrange a race. They are very serious and want me to go out there on the way to Texas so we will see." He added that "the group does not include casino impresario Steve Wynn or Guy Laliberte, the co-founder of avant-garde circus troupe Cirque du Soleil." Both Wynn and Laliberte are personal friends with Ecclestone and he said, “It’s not Steve Wynn or Guy. Steve isn’t interested in it.” Some "have suggested that there is no substance behind the Vegas Grand Prix plans, though the comments from the source and Ecclestone suggest otherwise." One observer said, "It is completely out of character for him to talk about deals that are under discussion unless it serves his purpose to make them public" (AUTO WEEK, 10/22).
