Formula One returned to Las Vegas over the weekend for the first time since 1984 and the Sphere was the best part of the entire experience. 580,000 square feet of glowing LED lights made the circuit look like it was straight out of a futuristic video game, not reality!
The technology that allows the Sphere to do its thing is pretty insane.
Its exosphere is coated with a 16K LED display and lit up the sky. Nearly 1.2 million LED pucks make up the display. They are spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 38 LED diodes. Each diode can display 256 million colors.
Incredible visuals on the Sphere lit up the Las Vegas sky throughout the race as it sat near turns 5, 6 and 7. F1 teamed up with MSG for a massive partnership revolving around the viral venue.
Although there were a lot of kinks in regard to logistics of the weekend, the Sphere was remarkable. That cannot be overstated. It was so cool.
In addition to the Sphere’s crucial role in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, it served as a strong reminder of how far we have come as a society, especially with technology. Sin City looks very different today than it did when F1 last descended upon Nevada.
Where the Sphere stands strong in the background of the modern day track, a similar dome-like structure once stood next to the old track outside of Caesar’s Palace. The old “sphere” was not nearly as advanced, nor as visually pleasing.
Formula One is scheduled to return to Las Vegas for the next 10 years. When you look back at history, it will be interesting to see how different things look in a decade compared to this past weekend.
Maybe the Sphere will be obsolete by then!