F1 knew it couldn’t lean on quite the same intrigue for its second visit to Las Vegas. It also couldn’t realistically expect to repeat the money-spinning success of year one, which generated half a billion dollars for the local economy and $77 million in tax revenue, outstripping all expectations.

This was the third-largest percentage drop in viewership YoY this season after Brazil (41.6 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (39.6 per cent). It also means three of Formula One’s last six races have dropped below an average of one million viewers, after exceeding the figure for nine straight races.

Formula 1 drivers complained this week about the smell of marijuana as they prepared for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. One even joked they could fail drug tests.