Currently, track and field is going through an off-season, which means the athletes have a ton of time to spend on other endeavors. And Noah Lyles is taking full advantage of the break and recently found himself in Las Vegas, as he attended the Grand Prix on Saturday night. In the city that attracts many celebrities, also clutched the Olympic champion, owing to his interest in F1.

However, Lyles was no normal audience member among the pack, as after storming the Ferrari garage a few hours ago, the current fastest man alive in the world had access to the starting grid of the race. And, as the starting grid of F1 races features the cars, just like track and field races feature athletes, the sprinter pointed out a unique difference between the two sports where speed and timing are everything. He had generated a lot of argument among the community after his garage visit, but this time the Olympian had interesting insights to share.

Experiencing F1 as an Olympic champion

The whole race weekend was a banger, from the practice session to the final turn of the 50-lap race. Surely, Lyles had a ton of fun, but right before the race started, due to him being a VIP, he got access to the starting grid, where all the 20 cars of 10 reputed teams lined up for the red lights to turn green. Being an athlete himself, he did feel all the adrenaline rushing inside him, but he also noticed a certain detail that separated the two sports.

SportsCenter on X posted a video of Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle interviewing the Olympic champion, as both of them could hardly hear each other due to the roaring hybrid V6 engines of the cars. So, when Brundle asked Lyles about the difference in the starting grid of the two sports, the Olympic champion stated, “Oh yeah! I was talking about that. I was just telling my fiance that this is so weird. You never see this in track and field—someone coming on here and just staring at you while you get into your starting blocks.”

Lyles was just surprised to see a whole crowd present on the grid, moments before the race. Immediately, he compared it to track and field, as during the starting blocks of a sprint, there was no crowd whatsoever to make any kind of eye contact or interaction. Furthermore, while talking to Brundle, the American runner was congratulated by him for his gold medal victory in Paris, to which he showcased his gratitude. When there’s somebody like the Olympic champion in any sports event, eyes automatically turn towards him, as in the current scene; he is the fastest man alive, owing to his title of the 100m gold medalist.

For a sport like Formula 1, such celebrities attending the paddock are also a huge popularity boost, as their fans would be more keen towards the sports that their favorite stars are following, and the Las Vegas GP was a perfect location to hold a dashing race. Since 2023, F1 has added the Las Vegas Grand Prix to its calendar, and after last year’s hit race, won by Dutch driver and current world champion Max Verstappen, the race did expect a ton of audience. So, did it live up to the expectations? Absolutely! With the current 2024 season heating up, many fans expected a championship battle in the race, and they did watch Verstappen becoming a four-time F1 World Champion, despite him just placing fifth in the Grand Prix.

All the glitz and glamor of F1 did attract Noah Lyles to the venue, and the person who is already aware of the thrills of speed was glad to watch an amazing race. However, prior to the race, he visited Ferrari’s garage in the paddock, and while he had a great time with some notable people in the garage, the motorsport fans weren’t too kind toward the athlete.

Noah Lyles’ Ferrari visit gone wrong

The prancing horses are one of the most prestigious F1 teams, with a history of competing since its first GP in 1950. So as Noah Lyles was present in Las Vegas with his fiancée, Junelle Bromfield, to watch the race weekend, he took full advantage of his ticket to get into the Ferrari garage. Due to this, he was able to meet Ferrari’s star boy Charles Leclerc and reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi. The Scuderia also shared some pictures on their official Instagram profile, with one being Lyles posing in front of the SF24’s front wing.

Eventually, the social media post reached the motorsport fans, and they weren’t very happy, but why so? Lyles has a ton of controversies outside of track and field, and his “world champion of what?” phrase is a popular one. Recently, he stated that he wasn’t aware of Nikola Jokić, one of the top NBA performers, so the motorsport fans assumed that he mustn’t be aware of the same when it comes to F1 and its sportsmen. The comment section was fueled with many triggering statements, but it’s nothing new for the Olympic champion, as he has always shut down his haters in his own way. Furthermore, he focused on his F1 weekend and had a ton of fun.