This weekend, Components 1 will race in Las Vegas for the fourth time. After two occasions held on a monitor constructed round Caesars Palace in 1981 and 1982, final yr the Grand Prix discovered a brand new dwelling within the leisure capital of the world, with the circuit incorporating a part of the well-known Strip from which it takes its identify.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the third occasion this yr held in the USA, alongside Miami and Austin. Following the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which is 7.004 kilometers lengthy, the Nevada monitor is the second longest on the calendar at 6.201 kilometers. It options 17 turns, to be tackled over 50 occasions throughout the race. The Strip circuit is a high-speed monitor with three straights and quite a few overtaking alternatives, notably at flip 14.
As soon as once more this yr, on-track motion will start with two follow classes kicking off the occasion on Thursday, main as much as the Saturday night time race, which is able to happen solely underneath floodlights. Whereas Las Vegas isn’t the one GP held at night time, no different monitor experiences such a big drop in temperature from day to nighttime as this weekend’s occasion.
That is because of the metropolis’s location within the Mojave Desert. Moreover, the November date guidelines out the spring or summer time local weather that characterizes most Grand Prix races. Consequently, vehicles are prone to race in air temperatures of round 10°C.
As is customary for road circuits, Pirelli has chosen the three softest compounds within the vary, with the C3 as Exhausting, C4 as Medium, and C5 as Tender, the identical as in 2023. The primary problem for tires might be warming them up, particularly throughout qualifying, notably for the entrance axle. Drivers might want to guarantee they carry the tires as much as temperature with out overloading them, avoiding lock-ups throughout harsher braking. Furthermore, the low temperatures cut back grip and may trigger elevated graining. These elements would possibly speed up tire put on, suggesting a two-stop technique, which was the commonest selection final yr. Nonetheless, a one-stop technique might be extremely aggressive, particularly if the driving force step by step brings the tires as much as temperature, extending their sturdiness for an extended stint. As a result of issue in warming up the tires, pitting early to get better positions with an undercut isn’t very efficient, and certainly, extending the primary stint is the higher selection.
As all the time on a road circuit, purple flags and Security Vehicles are a robust chance, with all of the uncertainties this could deliver, together with tire temperature administration throughout restarts.
In 2023, Max Verstappen crossed the end line first forward of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. The tires used within the race have been Medium and Exhausting, with the yellow-banded tire most popular by most drivers on the beginning grid.
This yr’s Las Vegas Grand Prix would be the 79th occasion of the World Drivers’ Championship held in the USA because the collection started in 1950. This brings the USA degree with Germany and Nice Britain in second place for probably the most Grand Prix hosted by a single nation, with solely Italy forward, having hosted 107.