Brad Pitt, Rod Stewart and Gordon Ramsay lead the A-list stars stepping  out in force for the hotly-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix

Brad Pitt, Rod Stewart and Gordon Ramsay led the stars stepping out in force to for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday.

Celebrities have flocked on masse to watch the inaugural event - as drivers race to the backdrop of several Vegas landmarks, including the Bellagio fountains, Mandalay Bay, Caesars Palace, and the new ball-shaped MSG Sphere.

Hollywood star Brad, 59, led the arrivals as he cut a casual figure in a grey jumper while standing in the pit lane at the Heinekin Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, ahead of Saturday night's big race.

Brad is set to star in a Formula One based film, and filmed footage on location during the first half of the F1 season, including shots of him driving a Formula Two car with an added Formula One aero-package at the Silverstone Circuit in July.

He paid a visit to the Grand Prix amid his busy schedule shooting with director Joseph Kosinski for the untitled film, in which he plays a veteran Formula One ace who comes out of retirement to train an up-and-coming driver.

Brad was seen stopping to chat as he watched Friday's practice, which descended into chaos when a drain cover came loose on the track.

Elsewhere, singer Rod, 78, and celebrity chef Gordon, 57, were also seen catching up in the Red Bull Racing garage.

Rod cut a suave figure in a vibrant yellow velvet suit, which he styled with a patterned waistcoat and a white shirt.

Gordon opted for a more casual figure as he sported a white T-shirt and a marl cardigan as he chatted to Rod, who playfully posed for the cameras.

Rod was also joined by his wife Penny Lancaster as they paid a visit to the Grand Prix ahead of the star's gig in Las Vegas.

The rocker is currently performing his The Hits residency at Caesars Palace, with the Formula One also taking place in Sin City on Sunday November 19.

Meanwhile, Gordon - who recently welcomed his sixth child, a boy named Jesse James, with his wife Tana, 49 - was accompanied by his daughter Holly, 23.

Geri Horner also supported her husband Christian Horner - who is the principal of Red Bull Racing - as she joined him at the star-studded Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix has been packed with entertainment as Kylie Minogue took to the stage during the opening ceremony on Thursday as the headline act.

The casinos and clubs have packages catered for fans looking for something to do while waiting for the cars to hit the track late each night, including Kylie's show.

Other acts at the glitzy ceremony included Tiesto, John Legend, Journey, Keith Urban, Jared Leto, Steve Aoki, J Balvin and Andra Day. 

Las Vegas Grand Prix events are scheduled for November 16 through 18, with the race itself happening on Saturday night. 

The last time the city had hosted an F1 race had been in 1982 when it was home to the Caesars Palace Grand Prix. 

However, Friday descended into farce as practice was abandoned after only eight minutes when a drain cover came loose on the track, causing substantial damage to Carlos Sainz's Ferrari.

And furious fans - some of whom paid $200 to be there - were then kicked out before the second session could begin at 2:30am local time, two-and-a-half hours later than scheduled.

But drivers headed back to the track on Saturday night - where Ferrari favourite Charles Leclerc claimed pole ahead of his stricken teammate, Sainz.

The Spanish driver even honored a commitment to appear at a fan event in the city and looked to be enjoying himself alongside his fellow Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

Event chiefs will be praying Thursday's track fiasco becomes a distant memory at the end of a weekend in which 105,000 F1 fans - including some paying up to $185,000 (£150,000) - pack out the Sin City circuit.

Sainz was penalized with a 10-place grid penalty for repairs needed to his car after driving over the drain cover - which will drop his starting position down to 12th despite the accident being no fault of his own. 

Speaking about it earlier on Friday, he looked far less happy than during his fan event appearance.

He said: 'Unfortunately as the session finished the team told me I was taking a 10 place grid penalty for something that I and the team have no fault and obviously this has changed completely my mindset and my opinion on the weekend and how the weekend is going to go from now on.

'You will not see me very happy this weekend. What happened today for me is a very clear example of how this sport can be improved in so many ways.'