Max Verstappen's reaction to Las Vegas GP opening ceremony goes viral, he hated every minute

The opening ceremony for this weekend's F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix had plenty of glitz and glamour - but Max Verstappen was definitely not a fan.

F1 hits the Vegas strip for its first Grand Prix race this weekend, with drivers not knowing what to expect from the 6.2-kilometre track.

With the threat of rain on the horizon, and temperatures that could dip below 5 degrees Celsius - which would be F1's coldest ever race - it is going to be a weekend of unknowns on the track.

Off the track, though, F1 has attempted to kindle up the typical Vegas atmosphere with parties, special events and even an opening ceremony, which took place on Wednesday night.

The event saw the drivers of each of the 10 teams lifted up on podiums, with each getting their own special introduction.

As you can see by the below clip, Verstappen wasn't too enthusiastic when his name was called out.

A spectacular introduction for our teams in Vegas 🤩#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/2Cx2VeJz4i

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 16, 2023

The rest of the ceremony resembled more of a concert, with Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue performing some of her best hits.

Plenty of drivers enjoyed the prelude to the weekend, with Lewis Hamilton commenting: "It's amazing to be here. It is exciting - such an incredible place, so many lights, a great energy, a great buzz."

But Verstappen took a different view on the spectacle as a whole.

He said (quotes via BBC Sport): "They are still going to make money, whether I like it or not.

"But I am also not going to fake it. I voice my opinion in positive and negative things. That's just how I am.

"Some people like show a bit more, I don't like it at all. I just grew up looking at the performance side of things. I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing."

It was his reaction to the opening ceremony, though, that caught the most attention.

"For me, you can all skip these kinds of things. It's just standing up there - [you] look like a clown."

That echoed his thoughts before the spectacle began, with Verstappen stating: "I don't like all the things around it. I'm looking forward to trying to do the best I can but I'm not looking forward to this."

Once the pre-race events are out of the way, Verstappen will hope that the racing itself can do the talking around 50 laps of the Vegas Strip circuit - and is aiming to win his record-extending 18th race of the 2023 season.