MAX VERSTAPPEN accused Formula One bosses of treating him and fellow drivers like "clowns" at last night's opening ceremony for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Drivers were unveiled on giant podiums amid a dramatic light show and live music, but the threetime world champion was left unimpressed.
Verstappen dismissed the late-night Saturday race - a shift from the traditional Sunday as "99 per cent show and one per cent sporting event".
Flowner Liberty Media has pumped in excess of £400million to pull off a first race in Vegas for over 40 years, a move which has left the current dominant force of the sport unimpressed.
"For me, you can skip all these things (the glitzy launch)," he said.
"It's not about the singer (including Kylie Minogue, left), it's just standing up there - you look like a clown.
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