Formula 1 News: 2024 Las Vegas GP Preview

The final 3-race stretch of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship will begin with Round 22, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.

Las Vegas first featured on Formula 1’s schedule in the early 1980s but two races held in the car park of the Caesars Palace Hotel proved underwhelming and the championship quietly moved out.

Fast-forward four decades and the landscape for Formula 1 in the United States was transformed, and Las Vegas joined the championship in 2023. Las Vegas’ addition marked the third annual grand prix in the United States, joining the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome, and the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

The 6.2km Las Vegas Strip Circuit takes drivers through the heart of Las Vegas, with the focal point being the 1.8km stretch of the Strip, passing the famous hotels, casinos and entertainment establishments for which the city is renowned. A section around the spectacular Sphere is preceded by a lengthy straight along Koval Avenue, while a high-speed blast through the curved Sands Avenue leads drivers onto the Strip. A challenging left-right-left chicane brings drivers onto East Harmon Avenue, with a high-speed left-hand kink completing the 17-turn lap.

The abundance of straights means a low-downforce set-up is favored by teams for the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, with an average lap speed of almost 150mph making it among the fastest street tracks in the world. There are also additional challenges, with the championship encountering a low grip surface and cold conditions during its debut in 2023. Las Vegas will retain its Saturday night race placement, holding the latest start time of any race at 22:00 local time, with track activity commencing Thursday, and qualifying taking place Friday.

Haas Boss Ayao Komatsu Perspective

“The Las Vegas Grand Prix offers a very unique challenge for various reasons. Similar to Baku, it’s a street circuit with low-speed corners and a very long straight. What is very different from Baku is the temperature. It’s pretty cold, hence it’s challenging to manage tires in particular. Last year saw multiple incidents in Vegas, so we need to stay sharp and take every opportunity we get to score points.”

2024 Weather Forecast – Cool but Dry. Warmer than last year

Thursday Sunny High of 65 degrees F, Low 41 degrees F

Friday Sunny High of 66 degrees F, Low 45 degrees F

Saturday Partly Sunny High of 70 degrees F, Low 51 degrees F

Last Year’s Race

Max Verstappen out dueled his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc to win the 2023 Las Vegas GP.

The race was exciting from the beginning to the end and the 105,000 fans in attendance, plus the thousands watching from balconies, cheered wildly. The track, criticized early in the weekend, turned out to produce fantastic racing up and down the field, making it the best street circuit on the F1 calendar.

The most hyped F1 race in history delivered on all levels.

This win was not easy at all for Verstappen, who had to serve a 5-second penalty, came from 8th place after his pitstop and drove his damaged Red Bull Honda (after a collision with George Russell) past Perez and Leclerc to the lead with 12 laps to go.

From there he broke the DRS tow that Leclerc had on him and then edged away to a 2-second win, proving once again why he is the best driver in the world.

Sergio Perez also got past the Ferrari with six laps to go for 2nd, but Leclerc stayed within DRS range as the laps counted down, and he repassed the Mexican for 2nd on the final lap.

Max Verstappen can wrap up 4th title in Las Vegas

“Brazil was an incredible race for us and a really special moment for myself and the Team. It was great to see us back to the form we were before; the Team did an amazing job and we are hoping to continue this into the next few races.

“Of course, Vegas is the start of the final triple header of the year so this is the final push for everyone. We performed well here last year and it is a really fast circuit, with long straights and a lot of opportunities to overtake and go racing.

“Once again, the temperatures look quite low so it will be about managing the tires. We are taking each race as it comes and are looking forward to the final races of the season.”

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast ahead of Vegas, Croft praised Verstappen’s performances in 2024 considering he’s been “clearly not in the fastest car”.

“If he wins in Vegas again as he did last year and goes on then to take the title. Brilliant. Well done Max Verstappen,” Croft said.

“What a fantastic performance. And to be world champion in a year when he’s clearly not in the fastest car. I think the performance of that Red Bull is somewhere between Max and Checo Perez, but more on the Max end. But to do it in not in the fastest car, it’s a brilliant season.

“He’s a phenomenal driver. We talk a lot about Max and talk a lot about off the track, and forcing other people off the track, but let’s actually spend a minute or so saying Max Verstappen – genius driver, fantastic world champion. He deserves to be a four-time world champion.”

Croft thinks Verstappen will wrap the title up this weekend.

“If he’s got the car next year that can compete, will surely be a five-time champion in the making,” Croft added.

“One of the greatest drivers ever to race in F1 and we should not let anything else detract from that. It’s rare that we’ve actually had the chance to sit down and discuss Max the champion.

“I think he will win it in Vegas. I think it will be done and dusted there.”

Tires Hold the Key

This weekend sees Formula 1 racing in Las Vegas for a fourth time. After two events run on a track built up around Caesars Palace in 1981 and 1982, last year Grand Prix racing found a new home in the entertainment capital of the world, with the track using part of the famous Strip from which it takes its name.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the third round this year to be held in the United States, following on from Miami and Austin.  After the 7.004 kilometer-long Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Nevadan track is the second longest on the calendar at 6.201 kilometers. It features 17 corners, tackled over 50 times in the race. It is a high-speed venue, with three straights and top speeds that hit 350 km/h last year, with several overtaking opportunities, especially at turn 14.

Once again this year, track action begins with two free practice sessions getting the event underway on Thursday, leading up to the race on Saturday night, run entirely under floodlights. There are other events that do the same – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Qatar and Abu Dhabi – but none feature such a big drop in temperature between day and night as this weekend’s event. This is due to the city’s location in the Mojave desert, while the other four are all just a short distance from the sea. Furthermore, the November date rules out the more usual spring or summer weather enjoyed at most Grands Prix. It is therefore very likely that cars will be running in air temperatures of around 10 °C, with quite similar track temperatures.

As has become the norm for street circuits, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds in the race, namely the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft, as was the case in 2023. The main challenge on the tire front will be warm-up, especially during qualifying and for the front axle in particular. Drivers will have to be careful to bring the tires up to temperature without overworking them, avoiding any lock-ups at the heaviest braking points, particularly at the end of the longest straights, along which the tires will suffer a further reduction in surface temperature. Furthermore, low temperatures lead to a reduction in grip and that can cause increased graining. These factors could lead to a speeding up of the wear process, which suggests a two-stop strategy, which was in fact the most popular choice last year. However, a one-stop can still be quite competitive, especially if the driver gradually brings the tires up to temperature, prolonging its life over a long stint. Because of the difficulty in warm-up, pitting early to try and make up places with an undercut is not very efficient and in fact, on paper, going longer is a better choice.

Experience gained at last year’s inaugural event will be useful for the teams and for Pirelli. In fact, a great deal of data was acquired relating to grip and the abrasiveness of the track surface and this was shared with the teams, who also provided their simulation data. The first task on arrival at the track will be to check the initial levels of abrasiveness and grip and them compare them with last year’s numbers, making a track inspection and then analyzing the data. Smooth and uninterrupted Thursday sessions will be important to produce further data to help make a more accurate prediction relating to tire degradation and wear.

As always on a street circuit, red flags and Safety Cars are a strong probability with all the unknowns that can bring, including at the restart in terms of tire temperature management.

In 2023, Max Verstappen won, first past the checkered flag ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. Medium and Hard were the compounds used in the race, the yellow-banded tire favored by the majority of drivers on the starting grid.

This year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix will be the 79^th round of the Drivers’ World Championship held in the USA since the series started in 1950. The USA thus joins Germany and Great Britain in second place on the list of nations that have hosted the most Grands Prix, with only Italy on 107 having held more. To date, there have been 11 venues used in the United States:Austin (12 Grands Prix), Dallas (1), Detroit (7), Indianapolis (19), Las Vegas (3), Long Beach (8), Miami (3), Phoenix (3), Riverside (1), Sebring (1) and Watkins Glen (20). There’s an unusual statistic in that the two drivers that top the list of winners of races held in the USA will be on track this weekend in Las Vegas, namely Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on six apiece. Following Charles Leclerc’s win in Austin last month, Ferrari is the most successful team in this country on 14 wins.

Apart from Formula 1, in Las Vegas Ferrari will also be involved in a one-off event for 35 Prancing Horse competitors in the North American series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli driving their 296 Challenge cars, all shod with Pirelli tires, a Ferrari partner in this series since it was established in 1993.

By the Numbers

3.8 – The length of the circuit in miles or 6.201 kilometers

14 – The number of turns in the circuit. Jokingly called an “upside down pig” by Oracle Red Bull principal Christian Horner, the circuit will see the fastest racing on the schedule next to Monza.

50 – The number of laps in the race.

193 – The total miles in the 50-lap race

147 – The insane average speed in miles-per-hour that race officials anticipate the race will have based upon driver simulation (237 kilometers-per-hour).

212 – Top speed in miles-per-hour expected as the cars race down the sweeping main straight of the Strip (342 km/h).

10pm Pacific/1am Eastern on ESPN– If Formula 1 was looking to garner a sizable U.S. audience on television, then having the start when many are in bed might not be the best recipe. If the idea is to reach a large global audience, yet still host a night race, then the start time works. Europe will be able to have their breakfast watching the race, and the hope is that the visuals will be so enticing for the U.S. audience that they’ll tune in late. See the entire race schedule for the ESPN family of networks in the U.S. at the bottom of this article.

$400-$500 million – The exact amount hasn’t been fully revealed, but Liberty Media, who owns Formula 1, has said the cost to host the night race in Las Vegas could run from $400 million to as high as a half-a-billion U.S. dollars. That’s because Liberty is the promotor of the race. They also have invested $240 million by purchasing land near the end of the Strip to construct the garages, the main luxury suites, the race control, and the start/finish grandstands, all of which are permanent. Throw in temporary grandstands, and re-paving the entire circuit and the total cost comes into focus.

10 – The initial number of years that Liberty Media, Formula 1, and Las Vegas have entered into to host the annual race.

$15,000 – The cost per person ($5,000 per day) to access F1’s Paddock Club which has been built for the Las Vegas race. The amenities included access to the club, opening ceremonies, concierge service, transportation, a commemorative ticket box and F&B. Sorry, even if you have the money the club was sold out 8 months in advance.

$7,630 – Cost to get into Club SI. Sports Illustrated has taken over the Margaritaville at Flamingo is transforming it into club/hospitality zone.

12 – Number of main artists set to perform at the Opening Ceremonies on Nov. 15. Artists include John Legend, Tiësto, Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Swedish House Mafia and will.i.am. That’s just the Opening Ceremonies. Everyone from Gordon Ramsey and more is involved in some type of party in Sin City for the race.

4 – The number of playing card suits being painted specially for the curbs around the circuit.

Star Spangled 1 – There will be no grand choir or massive band performing the National Anthem for the race. In incredibly Las Vegas fashion, Donnie Osmond will perform it prior to the race.

3 – With the addition of Las Vegas to the race schedule, the United States has rapidly jumped from just one F1 race on the schedule to three in the span of as many years. After the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race near Austin, Texas was the lone race since 2010, the Miami Grand Prix was added in 2022, and now Las Vegas showing the global racing series has finally made in-roads into the U.S. market after decades of lukewarm interest.

48 – Expected air temperature in Fahrenheit degrees for the race. While warmer than what was initially anticipated, it will test the team strategy and Pirelli tire selection throughout the race.

1981-1982 – The last years that Formula 1 raced in Las Vegas. It has been deemed the worst races in the global series history and was nothing more than a circuit laid out in the Ceasar’s Palace casino parking lot.

100,000 – The anticipated number of those attending each day of the three-day race event.

 

Fact File: Las Vegas Grand Prix

• Formula One returns to Las Vegas for the first time in over 40 years this weekend.
• The sport’s previous visits to ‘Sin City’ took place in 1981 and 1982 under the moniker of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix.
• Each edition was that year’s season finale with the Williams of Alan Jones taking victory in 1981 and the Tyrrell of Michele Alboreto victorious in 1982.
• We return to a very different circuit; a 17-corner (11 to the left, six to the right), anti-clockwise 6.201 km high-speed blast through the most famous streets of Las Vegas including the Strip.
• The track is the second-longest on the 2023 calendar, only shorter than Spa-Francorchamps.
• That includes an over 1.9 km flat-out section from the exit of Turn 12 to the braking zone at Turn 14.
• Our initial simulations show that top speeds will be second only to the ‘Temple of Speed’ at Monza.
• These simulations also show that just over 78% of the total lap distance will be taken at full throttle.
• That will be the fourth highest of the season, only behind the Jeddah Street Circuit, the Bahrain International Circuit, and Monza.
• Owing to the slower corners though where the cars take longer to navigate, drivers will spend just over 66% of the lap at full throttle.
• That is the ninth highest amount of the 2023 season and compares closely to Silverstone.
• The set-up trade-off will be ensuring that top speeds are not compromised whilst the car retains good mechanical grip and downforce for the low-speed corners, such as Turns 1-4, Turns 7-9, Turn 12, and Turns 14-16.
• Our simulations also show that there will be five braking events, with three of these designated as heavy. These will occur at Turn 1, Turn 5, and Turn 14.
• Another challenge for the engineers and drivers will be the likely cold temperatures. At night in November, it is not unknown for temperatures to reach single-digit Celsius.
• The lowest record race temperature in F1 history was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix where the mercury only reached 5ºC.
• For the first time since the 1985 South African Grand Prix, the sport will race on a Saturday.
• Saturday’s race will also be the latest starting Grand Prix in F1’s history. The first night race, the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, took place at 20:00 local time.
• This year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix will get underway at 22:00 local time, with qualifying taking place at midnight on the same day.

USA TV Schedule

All Times Eastern