‘The best seat in the house’: Las Vegas Grand Prix marshal program sees more interest

Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix has seen an uptick in interest in the marshal program for this year’s race, an event official said.

Race officials took in over 3,100 applications to participate in the local marshals training program for Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, scheduled for Nov. 20 through Nov. 22. Of those, 1,300 were chosen for the program, with 17 percent being Southern Nevadans, according to Silvia Bellot, vice president of sporting and race operations for Las Vegas Grand Prix.

During race weekend there will be 600 marshals used. On top of the Clark County Fire Department and medical officials, there will be 700 race officials stationed around the 3.8-mile track.

“The majority of them are American,” Bellot said. “Seventeen percent are locals from Southern Nevada and 26 percent of the total pool are women.”

Bellot said the number of women participating in 2025 is 50 percent higher than in 2024. She also said the number of locals participating in the marshal program was also higher.

This year marks the third year the locals’ training program is being held in Las Vegas ahead of the third annual race, where those selected learn the three key marshal roles: flagger, recovery and fire safety.

“We’re looking to increase the number of locals involved in our race,” Bellot said. “We know we have a lot of F1 fans that live in Las Vegas and we know there’s a lot of people who love the sport and who want to be close to the action, but they don’t know how. So, that’s why we created our local marshals program.”

This year marked the first time in three years that race officials had to turn people away because they had more than enough people apply for the marshal program, Bellot said.

“That’s a good problem to have,” Bellot said. “Hopefully, one day all of our marshals will be from here in Southern Nevada.”

There was also tremendous interest in the marshal program from those residing in nearby states like Arizona, California and Utah, Bellot said.

‘Eyes and ears’ of the race

Marshals play a key role in keeping races operating in an orderly fashion, with Bellot calling them the “eyes and the ears” of the race. Flaggers must learn what all the 10 flags mean and how each one is meant to be waived or held statically.

The training starts with a classroom session, essentially a Formula One 101, and then different exercises involving each of the three subcategories of marshals, Bellot said. Those exercises include flagging, extraction, removing an F1 car from the track and fire training.

Grand Prix officials announced the training program was open for sign-ups earlier this year via their various social media accounts, on their website and through the media. But the best form of advertising the marshal program is through those who participated in the previous two races, Bellot said.

The ‘best seat in the house by far’

Logan Ponce, a lifelong racing fan, was a marshal during last year’s race and said they’re there to have fun, while ensuring race operations run smoothly.

“I wanted to get closer to the action,” Ponce said. “You are volunteering your time, but you are really right up front and I think that is one of the best reasons to be a part of this marshaling program. If you are a fan of racing, fan of Formula One, this is the best seat in the house by far.”

For those looking to get involved with the marshal program in the future, Bellot suggests adding as much information about themselves in their applications. The more they know about a person and their passion for motorsports and their individual skill sets, the better the chance they will be selected, she said.

“We’ve got so many applications its challenging to select the best ones,” Bellot said. “Make sure you fill (out) the form, make sure you explain as many things about you as possible.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.