Jared Leto Serves Up Odd F1 Race Intro + Viewers Have Thoughts

Whether he’s pushing a new movie or a new project with alt-rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars, actor/musician Jared Leto is known for his peculiar promotional tactics and brand affiliations. Case in point: His recent introduction to the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, which has left many spectators confused, amused and/or terrified.

You see, this year’s event took place between Nov. 16 and Nov. 18, and to get people excited, Formula One filmed a “message” from Leto in which he ostensibly describes what he loves most about the historic city.

So, how’d it turn out? Well, about as unsettlingly and cryptically artsy as you’d expect.

Specifically, the 93-second spot sees Leto unemotionally reciting lyrics to Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” while staring lifelessly into the camera as dramatic music swells and footage of the Las Vegas strip and F1 racing plays.

You can watch the full clip below

Unsurprisingly, the video has since gotten a lot of attention on social media – to the point that Leto has been trending on X because of it – for its chilling weirdness.

For instance, one X user reposted it while commenting, “Jared Leto spitting [fire emoji]. I can’t tell if it’s cool or just weird af.” Their tweet got numerous repliers commiserating over their collective discomfort, such as one person who joked: “The serial killer music in the background might be making it more weird.” Further down the thread, another viewer agreed: “Very Charles Manson aesthetic.”

Elsewhere, someone declared that Leto “just ruined all F1 racing,” whereas another person used the Persian Cat Room Guardian meme while explaining: “Me to ESPN on that weird Jared Leto spoken word for Viva Las Vegas.” Perhaps the best reaction came from an X user who reflected: “Had SportsCenter on mute and looked up from my computer to see a super zoomed-in Jared Leto making eye contact with me through the TV. Absolute shit-your-pants moment.”

We can’t disagree, and you can see more reactions below as well.

As part of the opening ceremony this past Wednesday night, Nov. 15 – and per the Associated Press – Thirty Seconds to Mars appeared on top of “a giant, custom-build LED platform on the Formula One racetrack.” In particular, the Leto brothers (Jared and drummer Shannon) “wore matching race suits, launching into a medley of 2005’s ‘The Kill,’ their biggest hit, and 2023’s ‘Stuck,’ their most recent one.”

They weren’t the only artists doing something like during the evening, though, as their songs were soon followed by brief performances from musicians such as will.i.am, Journey and Keith Urban.

Speaking of Thirty Seconds to Mars, though, they recently announced the “Seasons World Tour 2024” in support of their latest studio LP, It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day (which released on Sept. 15, 2023). The tour will take them to South America, the U.K., Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand between March and September of next year. Their North American support will include Kennyhoopla, Poppy and AFI.

You can see the full list of tour dates and grab tickets here.