Las Vegas in the Spotlight
Posted on November 21, 2024
THE ONE MEMORABLE TAKE first day punters had from the inaugural Las Vegas F1 last November was the loose manhole cover that was sucked out of the track by the #55 car of Ferrari’s ace Carlos Sainz, travelling at close to 200km/h during Free Practice 1.
That dramatic start to the much-hyped event, just nine minutes into the first on-track session 12 months ago, caused significant damage to the Spaniard’s car affecting the monocoque, engine, and battery.
It led to cancelation of the session.
And it is testament to the extreme safety measures built into a F1 car that Carlos was not seriously injured.
But the 30-year-old got one helluva scare for his first venture onto the Las Vegas Street Circuit – and one that will live long in F1 folklore.
Dreadful Start to a Dream Event
It was a nightmare for the event organisers and Race Control called on all its resources to ensure the event could proceed.
The task confronting the officials was massive, as they quickly realised it would involve a seriously thorough inspection of all manhole covers on the 60six km street track, delaying the second practice session.
And they had to confront thousands upon thousands of hardy racegoers, to say nothing of the frustration of the teams and the drivers. And that hundreds of officials slowly realising they were in for a very long night!
Las Vegas is is smack-bang in the heart of the the Mohave Desert and a huge number of punters had packed the stands to witness one of the most exciting motorsport shows on the planet, at a venue known as the entertainment capital of the world.
And who had forked out extraordinary amounts of US currency to enjoy the spectacle.
Patiently waiting in the desert cold
The lengthy delay that followed and just how cold it was for the resumption, also are vivid memories for those hardy masses who hung around in the early hours for the action to resume.
The initial start for FP1 at the 2023 Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix was 6:30pm local time, with the temperature already a chilly 14.5°C (58°F).
When the second practice session finally hit the bitumen streets it was 2:30 am in the Nevada desert city, the temperature had plummeted to 5.5°C (42°F)!
Despite the chaos, the race weekend continued, but it was a tough start for the much-awaited return of Las Vegas to the international Grand Prix circus.
(In fact, there were two events run on a track built up around Caesars Palace – way back in 1981 and 1982.)
Red Bull get first 1-2 finish in Drivers’ Championships
Last year’s event featured a race that was filled with excitement despite the drama of the opening stanza. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured pole position for Ferrari, but Max Verstappen ultimately won in Las Vegas.
The race itself was action-packed, with Max, Charles and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez battling throughout for the lead.
That win helped Red Bull Racing secure their first-ever 1-2 finish in the Drivers’ Championship – an honour Red Bull is unlikely ever again to achieve with Max and Sergio.
But it sure put a big grin on Christian Horner’s face!
Ticket prices for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Another interesting factor which is relevant here – and anything but fan friendly for the average F1 punter – are ticket prices.
That 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix was one of the most expensive races on the F1 calendar, with an average ticket price of around $1500 AUD.
Although they’re are a tad lower this year!
General Admission: Starting $152 AUD.
Grandstands: Starting $385.
3-Day General Admission: Starting $924.
3-Day Grandstand: Starting $1538.
VIP Packages: Up to $12,320.
The population of the city of Las Vegas is around 665,000, with the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area is home to more than 2.95 million people.
But Las Vegas, along with Miami, now holds the dubious honour of having the most expensive tickets in F1 history!
Entertainment Capital of the World
It’s the third round this year to be held in the United States, following on from Miami and Austin, with the track using part of the famous Strip from which it takes its name.
After the magnificence of the 7.004km Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Nevadan track is the second longest on the calendar at 6.2010km – featuring 17 corners, tackled over 50 times during the race.
It’s a high-speed venue, with three straights and top speeds that hit 350 km/h last year (just ask Carlos Sainz), with several overtaking opportunities, especially at turn 14.
Check the Race Schedule below for Race times
Track action this year again begins with two free practice sessions getting the event underway on Thursday, Nevada time, leading up to the race on Saturday night, run entirely under floodlights.
There are other events that follow the same path – 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 race.
Because Las Vegas is located in the Mojave Desert, while the other four are all just a short distance from the sea.
And 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.
Pirelli opts for softest compounds
As has become the norm for street circuits, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds in the race – the C3 Hard, the C4 Medium and the C5 Soft.
The main challenge on the tyre front will be warm-up, especially during qualifying and for the front axle in particular.
The Tyre guru advises drivers to be extra careful to bring the tyres 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 tyres will suffer a further reduction in surface temperature.
Expected low temperatures in the Mohave Desert region 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 – the most popular choice last year.
Big chance of red flags and safety cars on street circuits
But a one-stop can still be quite competitive, especially if the driver gradually brings the tyres 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.
Pirelli suggests the first task on arrival at the trackside will be checking the initial levels of abrasiveness and grip and then compare them with last year’s numbers, making a track inspection and then analysing the data.
Smooth and uninterrupted Thursday sessions will be important to produce further data to help make a more accurate prediction relating to tyre 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 tyre temperature management.
Lewis and Max share US honours
This year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is the 79th round of the Drivers’ World Championship held in the USA since the series started in 1950.
That stat sees the USA joining Germany and Great Britain in second place on the list of nations that have hosted the most Grands Prix.
Only Italy, on 107, have held more.
There’s an unusual statistic in that the two drivers who top the list of winners of races held in the USA are both on track this weekend in Las Vegas – 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.
RACE SCHEDULE
Las Vegas Grand Prix
PERTH WA TIMES
Las Vegas Strip Circuit | 22 – 24 Nov
P1 Friday 22nd November 10:30
P2 Friday 22nd November 14:00
P3 Saturday 23rd November 10:30
Qualifying Saturday 23rd November 14:00
Race
Sunday 24th November 14:00
NEXT EVENT
Qatar Grand Prix
Lusail International Circuit | 29 Nov – 02 Dec
EDITED by AC
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