Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell put on show ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's a dark, chilly night in the Southern Nevada desert. As the music gets louder, the sky is lit up with dozens of drones and in the distance, two pairs of headlights get closer as they race around the circuit at Speed Vegas, about 13 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip.

It's Lewis Hamilton and George Russell who are putting on a show and displaying why they are two of the world's best drivers as they come within inches of each other through hairpin turns all while driving through a choreographed show with drones creating tunnels, watches, and vehicles.

The IWC X AMG Speed City event on Tuesday night, hosted by IWC Schaffhausen and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, kicked off race week for the team in Las Vegas. For some, like Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff, it will be a new experience.

"I've never been to Vegas before. But as a precaution, I've brought my wife," Wolff said. "I'm really curious to see how it goes. We'll see what the cars are going to do because we have never raced in these cold temperatures. It's going to be a little bit of entertainment, sliding around. At the end of the day, everybody has the same circumstances. Whoever is going to do the best job wins and that has been the story over the last few years. We're going to see what the track is going to do but it should be spectacular."

According to Hamilton, the hype has been building in the lead-up to the Las Vegas Grand Prix and he's glad it's finally here.

"This has been a week that we've been waiting for all year long and there's been so much talk of having a Grand Prix here in Vegas. I've heard of this track so many times so it's great to finally see it," Hamilton said.

This won't be the first time the Mercedes drivers have tackled Las Vegas Boulevard. Last year, both Hamilton and Russell were part of the F1 preview event that was on the Strip. Both drivers said even though they've been here before, they're expecting to face new challenges.

"Going to a new circuit is really exciting. It's like you're going on a new journey. You're exploring something new. You don't know what you're stepping into," Russell said. "We've obviously driven a lot on a simulator. But equally, a simulator doesn't know what to expect like how the car's tires are going to react to the cold temperatures here, how grippy the tarmac will be, the bumps we will be facing on the Strip. You have to go into it with an open mind, be ready to adapt, and react to any limitations that you find."

Hamilton said that includes trying to orient themselves to the track.

"With the simulator, you can get a bit of practice to figure out where Turn 1 is and the combination of corners and how they flow into each other. But when you get to the real track, the element of risk comes into it so you need to learn as fast as you can," Hamilton said. "In the cockpit, you're looking for reference points. On the simulators, we didn't have the Vegas background so that's going to be something we learn: where the lights are, where the buildings are, certain marks on the walls, and all those sorts of things."

The drivers will have to learn fast and will only have three hours of practice time before the actual race on Saturday.

"Footballers, tennis players, they're training six hours a day," Russell said. "We only have three hours to fine-tune things. I'm really intrigued ahead of this weekend because we're stepping into the unknown. With all the lights, it's going to be pretty wild. There are so many factors that it's like a learning curve for us and it gives us the opportunity to do a better job than our competitors. I'm excited to see what that journey brings."

Tuesday's event also saw stars like will.i.am, Aaron Paul, and James Marsden visit the track. Marsden said he's been into racing for awhile and is excited to see all the action.

"I love racing. I do a little bit myself, not competitively but I do some carting with my son. I was training for a minute but I got scared. It takes some backbone," Marsden said smiling. "I got into Formula 1 because my ex-girlfriend was really into it. She's English and was brought up with the McLaren folks. The [Netflix] documentary hit and everyone I know went nuts for it. I've been following it for awhile. I'm pals with Lewis. He's a really good guy. I would like to see him have success."

Jarah Wright

The Las Vegas Grand Prix becomes the third American race on the Formula 1 calendar, alongside Austin and Miami. As the sport continues to grow, Russell said it's exciting to see U.S. fans learning about it and embracing it.

"I think it's great. There's such a culture of sport in the States and it's always been surprising that Formula 1 hasn't been part of their passion. Seeing that tide turn now is great," Russell said. "I feel proud to be part of Formula 1 at this time. I think the people running the show at Formula 1 are incredibly smart people and know what the fans want and they know we need to keep pushing the boundaries. We're at a peak. We can't plateau. You need to keep on pushing forward. I think the addition of Las Vegas on the calendar is another good step of pushing the sport forward in a good direction."

For Hamilton, the journey has almost come full-circle.

"The first Grand Prix I had in the U.S. was in 2007 in Indianapolis. Over the years, there was always this feeling that when I come here, we were educating them on what this sport is about. Knowing how big a sport audience they have here, I couldn't understand how they weren't drawn to the sport like we were growing up," Hamilton said. "It's been amazing to see the shift over the last couple of years and the country is embracing the sport and loving it as much as we do. We now have three Grand Prix races in the U.S. I grew up watching Casino and now it's here in Las Vegas."

The Opening Ceremony for the Las Vegas Grand Prix is on Wednesday followed by the first practice sessions on Thursday, qualifying on Friday, and the race is set for Saturday night.