Lando Norris is excited to race in Las Vegas
The young McLaren driver showed his excitement about the prospect of competing in the inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas by stating that people don't realize "how cool the race will be".
Formula 1 arrives in Las Vegas for the first time in 39 years. The Strip (a 6.7 km stretch of the southern part of Las Vegas Boulevard) will host this year’s most likely glamorous race in the history of the sport.
The race, which was officially confirmed for the first time in March 2022, has left Formula 1 fans cautiously optimistic about what they can expect from the street race in terms of spectacle. It will be the second-to-last event of the season.
Lando Norris is already excited about the idea of racing in one of the most famous streets in the world. “I don’t think people realize how cool it will be,” Norris said to Sky Sports F1. “You’re driving on the streets of Vegas. Everyone knows Vegas, you’ve seen it in movies, everyone has heard about it. The fact that [the Strip] is closed so we can go there and race, it’s such a cool thing. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
Discovering the simulator circuit… and F1 23
While the paddock area is still under construction, the track layout has already been revealed, with the long straight of the Strip located between turns 13 and 14. Norris believes it will be a good circuit for qualifying and racing.
“For us, if it’s about a good race track and you can look forward to a Sunday where you can go running, whether you’re first or last, these are the places you anticipate the most, in a certain way, and then it’s in Vegas, so it’s a double stroke of luck.”
Norris got a glimpse of what the Vegas experience could be like when he tried a preliminary version of the new F1 23 game. When asked if this would help him when it came time to take action, the driver replied that the time spent in the McLaren simulator would be much more useful.
“I think that when the game arrives, we will also have it on the actual simulator,” he said. “I even think that we already have it, whether it’s scanned or not, or if it’s just an estimation of what it will look like, but it helps us a lot.”
This allows to adjust the car. Then, I think it’s about standard reference points in racing, whether it’s using a 100-meter board or a 50-meter board or avoiding certain bumps, there are always things you have learned from it.
