Watch: AXL ROSE Gives Rare Interview At F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

November 21, 2023

Viaplay presenter Mervi Kallio conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Saturday night (November 18) at Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the chat, Kallio, which can be seen below, asked Axl about his friendship with Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen, whom Rose thanked in the sleeve notes for GUNS N' ROSES' 2008 album "Chinese Democracy".

"I've been a fan of his for a while," Axl said. "I always watched him back in the day, and we get along really well."

In a 2009 interview with Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Räikkönen said that he had no idea why he was thanked on the LP, but said that he and the singer were friends.

"We do know each other very well, we have met several times through the years," Räikkönen said. "The first time we met was years ago, at one of the F1 races I competed in. Afterwards, he came to Finland once and we met again."

The Formula One race took place on the famous Las Vegas Strip.

The track design is 3.8 miles long from start to finish with top speeds estimated to be over 212 mph.

There were 50 race laps with three main straights and 14 corners, including a high-speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section.

Axl and the rest of GUNS N' ROSES played the iconic Hollywood Bowl for the first time ever on November 1 and November 2. These shows marked the first time the band had played L.A. since 2021 and also wrapped up GUNS N' ROSES' U.S. tour. The band's 2023 global trek has been their largest run to date, consisting of headlining stadiums and arenas across Europe and North America, and concluded with a headlining performance at Hell & Heaven festival in Mexico City on November 5.

GUNS N' ROSES' current lineup features classic-lineup members Rose, Duff McKagan (bass) and Slash (guitar),backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

GUNS N' ROSES played its new single, "Perhaps", live for the first time on August 18 at the PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The song was officially released earlier that day — less than a week after the shelved "Chinese Democracy"-era track was leaked on TouchTunes machines at bars and other locations.

Like GUNS N' ROSES' 2021 single "Hard Skool", "Perhaps" was originally written and recorded during the sessions for "Chinese Democracy", and a rough demo version of the song had previously been leaked and uploaded to YouTube.

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