Las Vegas is not Chicago

Hey it's Hannah, here to talk autos this week, mainly Nascar/F1 and Aston Martin. But I have some other obsessions, too [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi! It’s me again, [Hannah Elliott](, your trusty automotive reporter. Let’s talk Las Vegas. With [Formula One](, the [Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance]( and the Super Bowl all happening there within the next six months, Frank Sinatra’s favorite haunt is about to shine beyond even its normal brilliance. Ticket sales for Nov. 19’s grand prix are strong, says Andrew Lanzino, MGM Resort’s vice president of citywide events strategy. Each year, of the roughly 12 million show tickets sold in Las Vegas, most sell out about a month before the event, he says. For the F1 race, which is still four months away, 70% of tickets have already sold. The first weekend in July gave us a new perspective on what to expect in Nevada—but instead of a blueprint for how to run an inaugural race through city streets, it was a masterclass in what not to do. Chicago’s first-ever Nascar street competition, a stunt promoted as a way to capture some of the relevance and excitement of F1, flopped. Community members [were ambivalent]( about the race from the very beginning. That fed into lackluster ticket sales and myriad complaints about noise and street closures. Then, after a delayed start, [a record downpour]( aborted the race after 75 out of 100 laps. Organizers cancelled associated concerts. A contractor working at the race was fatally electrocuted. Rather than make money, some businesses lost money. The Museum Campus, a part of Chicago’s Grant Park that includes the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium, expected to lose $3.5 million as a result of road closures and other disruptions tied to summer events like Nascar. The stock car series has battled financial problems for years; multiple teams have [described it as “broken”]( with little chance of long-term stability. Chicago’s hamstrung event was a symptom of a larger problem. Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates with his team after winning the 2023 Nascar Cup Series. Photographer: Jim Vondruska/Bloomberg The folks organizing Vegas’s festivities are wise to take cues elsewhere. During a July 5 phone call with Lanzino, we discussed how he attended the Singapore GP to study it as a best-practice test case. Like Singapore, the race in Las Vegas well be held at night. “I wanted to see how customers would interact in an event like this,” he says. “We’ve never had Formula One. We don’t have that experience to know, ‘Is this something that people will want to see, do they go to all three days of the races? Is it about the hospitality? Is it about the chef? Is it about the food? Is it about the race, the drivers, the access to the paddock?’ The answer is Yes. All of the above.” If you hope to attend the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the time to plan is yesterday. Photographer: Dan Istitene/Getty Images We also discussed [Miami’s Grand Prix](, where Lanzino said he saw “mistakes” that he wanted to avoid. “Finding food and getting food in Miami—that was one of the biggest learnings,” he said. “Vegas is the only F1 race where a grandstand ticket also gets you all of your food for the three days, and your non-alcoholic beverages.” When I asked him about the race in Chicago, Lanzino fell silent. But he didn’t seem worried. “Vegas does this all the time,” he said. “Where you’ll have some cities where this is something they have to really logistically plan for, the city of Las Vegas, from an infrastructure standpoint, logistically, we do this every single weekend.” Connect with Hannah on [Twitter]( and [Instagram]( More racing news for fans. [Brad Pitt Is Filming a New Movie About F1 Racing at the British Grand Prix]( The event’s organizers are anticipating a potential protest from environmental activists. [Las Vegas Gears Up to Be the New Car Capital of America]( Sin City is roaring for attention from auto lovers with Formula One, a new elite car show and a major aftermarket convention. [F1 Tests Fan Limits With Million-Dollar Las Vegas Packages]( If you want that Vegas Grand Prix vacation, get ready to start spending. [These Are the Best Formula One Drivers You Need to Know Now]( Although standings have shifted since Miami in May, it’s still worth brushing up. [The Return of the Nascar Jacket Is More Playful Than Political]( Still trending—there’s nothing wrong with bright, colorful graphics and lots of logos. There’s a lot going on at Aston Martin these days. You’ve got to hand it to [Aston Martin](. The 110-year-old-brand based in Warwickshire, England, knows how to scrap. Despite its association with James Bond and handsome touring cars, Aston Martin has failed to achieve the [robust business]( [model]( of competitors such as [Bentley](, [Ferrari]( and [Porsche](. Since its 2018 initial public offering, it has faced money problems and frequent C-suite turnover. Deliveries of [the $2.6 million Valkyrie hypercar]( have been delayed. Infotainment systems have been sub-par. Residual values have tanked. And yet, with British bulldog determination, it just will not give up. (There are a few flailing brands out there right now that could use an injection of this attitude. Jaguar, I’m looking at you.)  Signs of life: China’s [Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd]( recently doubled its stake in the automaker in a transaction that unlocked $118 million for the brand. Aston Martin stock values rose after the company announced it [would share electric technology]( with [Lucid Group Inc](. Fernando Alonso has made the podium six times this season in the Aston Martin Formula One car. The team is in third place for the season. The new Grand Tourer sitting pretty on the Côte d’Azur. But how did it drive? Source: Aston Martin Best of all for car nuts, the [2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 SUV]( is excellent, presenting a fair challenge to the [top-dog Lamborghini Urus](. So is the [2024 Aston Martin DB12](, the DB11 successor I drove last month in Monaco. I’m not sure Aston Martin Chairman Lawrence Stroll deserves to be knighted for a turnaround, as he [recently declared](. It’s far too early for that. “Aston Martin’s premium positioning yields prices 4x that of BMW and Mercedes, yet an inability to generate free cash flow undermines views of its credit risk,” wrote Joel Levington, Bloomberg Intelligence Director of Credit Research, in a June market report, citing higher manufacturing, logistics and inflation on general costs—“the difficulties a smaller-scaled automotive manufacturer faces in a highly competitive industry.” But I’m here for the ascent, and loving every minute of it. More on those Brits... [Test Driving the $245,000 Aston Martin DB12 in the Hills of Monte Carlo]( [The 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 Is a Game-Changing SUV]( [Lucid Scores a Sorely Needed Win With Aston Martin EV Order]( [A Cameo in a James Bond Film Can Increase a Car’s Value by 1,000%]( [The Company Building Tiny, Drivable Replicas of Iconic Luxury Cars]( [Aston Martin Reveals the Spy Gadgets in Its $3.5 Million Bond Tribute]( What else I’ve been into lately. BEAUTY: [I reviewed the Lyma laser](for Bloomberg Businessweek in April. With a $2,700 price-tag and black-box packaging on par with a high-end wristwatch, the tubular laser represents a significant investment for those of us who aren’t independently wealthy. Spoiler: it’s fantastic. So I was curious to try [Lyma Skincare](, the new protocol from the British brand. The starter kit is expensive—it lasts one month and costs $655. And it requires dedication: twice-daily application of a serum and a cream. But I saw results: banished blemishes, diminished redness and … dare I say … a downright glow. The company throws out a lot of science at [why it works](, I’ve just found it does. I may need to get a charitable grant in order to continue buying it, but Lyma Skincare is a rare case of a product living up to its promise. I’m hooked. The hand-held Lyma laser skincare device will take years off your face. Photographer: Janelle Jones for Bloomberg Businessweek DINING: I long resisted going to [Musso & Frank](. Charlie Chaplin supped there, and Frank Sinatra always ordered the cheesecake. The 104-year-old restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard seemed like it would be full of tourists. But my partner and I snuck in early to the bar one night recently, and we’ve been back a half-dozen times since. With its dark-wood ceiling beams, red-leather booths and dry martinis made perfectly with a sidecar by older gentlemen in dinner jackets with their names embroidered in gold, Musso & Frank reminds me of the Old World, New York City restaurants I have missed desperately since moving away from Manhattan. A recent stint at Musso’s had us sitting in what the maître d’ called “the Writer’s Booth,” where Raymond Chandler often sat as he wrote; we enjoyed iceburg lettuce wedge salad, chicken parmesan, spicy rigatoni with vodka sauce and creamy mashed potatoes. Other times had us drooling over the truffle macaroni and cheese, the pork chop, French fries, broccolini and the best French onion soup I’ve had in LA. But the best thing about Musso & Frank is that it is still operated by the fourth-generation descendants of John Mosso, who was born in Turin, Italy, in 1888 and worked as an automotive engineer at Fiat before moving to the US. He started the eatery while Benito Mussolini commandeered Italy. Many of the waitstaff have worked there for decades, and their professionalism, friendliness and pride in the place shows in everything they do. Also unexpected when I dined? The red-hot Gucci Osteria restaurant on Rodeo Drive. Photographer: Hannah Elliott/Bloomberg CULTURE: While I’m on the topic of being a New Yorker in LA, I should mention Joan Didion. In [Where I Was From](, the California native who finished her life in New York chronicles the state’s many oxymoronic mores: self-sufficiency above all else, except when you’re taking free government land; health and wellness pushed to unhealthy extremes and ugly standards; devotion to sustainably cultivating natural resources … until the next investment opportunity comes along. Didion populates her primer with robber barons and writers, Hollywood stars and rock gods, water conservationists and gurus, cowboys and low-lifes. Their history helped me understand the state’s sometimes surreal logic today. Summer style essentials, from sunglasses to swimsuits to speakers—all in bold color. Photographer: Shawn Michael Jones for Bloomberg Businessweek STYLE: I have never gotten as many compliments on a manicure as I have with the metallic gold gel I got at [Sugar Nail](. The process involves pressing dusty, dry gold pigmented powder directly into the nail, then brushing off the excess for an instantly done finish with a sheen undimmed after weeks of wear. The treatment is expensive, costing an extra $3 per nail to do. Although I’m a classicist by nature—deep red or poppy is my typical go-to for varnish—this new gold phase is going to be my summer 2023 look. Shirley Eaton, eat your heart out. So, you had car questions…. And we’ve got answers! Whatever the topic, keep them coming for next week via our  [Bloomberg Pursuits InstagramÂ]( and [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net). Will automakers ever offer a vehicle without an infotainment screen in the US market? This is a great question. I can understand the desire to do away with yet another screen that often [feels annoying and distracting](. The short answer is: If the automaker thinks they can make money off a vehicle without an infotainment screen, yes, they’ll do it. Some automakers include screens that feel like afterthoughts anyway. With tiny control screens that were on par with controllers from the 1990s, Lotus often seems like it really didn’t want to put a screen in its cars at all. ([In the new Emira](, its screens are better, whereas the previous model made my [worst car interiors of list](.) But I have a hard time imagining the general driving public saying no to navigation maps, rear-view cameras, cabin comfort systems, Apple’s CarPlay and all of the other goodies controlled by the infotainment touchscreen. Am I the only one who feels like CGI and AI are starting to blur the lines between photographers and builders? Not at all. But this is nothing new. Automakers have used computer-generated renderings and Photoshop to advertise cars for decades. Freelance designers, consultants and snake-oil salesmen have long used digitized images of concept cars to try to convince investors to give them money, and to convince the public to buy the vehicle. The important thing for us is to be able to discern the difference. There’s no perfect science to determining fact from fiction, but if something looks too good to be true (or too perfect, or too wacky), it probably is. And then you also have more artistic teases, like Porsche’s electric speedboat. Source: Porsche New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here](.) Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. 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