The issue of icy temperatures for Formula 1 will be the challenge in Las Vegas

Liberty Media, the new American owner of Formula 1, has invested over half a billion dollars in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It is meant to be a celebration and a monumental spectacle, but it could be cut short with the weather forecasts announced for Friday and Saturday evening. Freezing temperatures that will pose a problem for the teams.

While the single-seaters will reach speeds exceeding 300 km/h on the Las Vegas Strip, the temperature should be between 7 and 12 degrees. The minimum average temperature in Las Vegas according to the November forecast is 7 degrees. Therefore, it will probably be one of the coldest races in F1 history. The record is 5 degrees, set during the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix held in Montreal.

“This is probably the first time that we are expecting such cold conditions,” said Mario Isola, head of Pirelli F1. “These compounds are designed to generate grip at high temperatures, let’s say above 80 degrees. In cold weather, grip is very low.” Pirelli had announced bringing their softest range of tires, including the C3 (hard tires), C4 (medium tires), and C5 (soft tires).”

Las Vegas will also be the first F1 race in such cold conditions since Pirelli revised the tire specifications in 2022 with 18-inch tires. While 2020 had two low-temperature races, like Turkey and Germany, those took place with 13-inch tires and therefore with thicker sidewalls. If we are talking about 18-inch tires, it’s probably the first time we will see them in this kind of temperature, said Isola.

For Jonathan Eddolls, chief race engineer at AlphaTauri, « Temperatures will probably be one of the biggest challenges. I think we are expecting an ambient temperature of around 10 degrees, which is very similar to the winter tests », before adding, « For many years, we have been carrying out winter tests in Barcelona with these kinds of temperatures. So it won’t be completely new for us ».

However, there is a big difference between winter testing and a race situation, which he fully understands. But there is certainly a huge step regarding the usage of current tires compared to what we are accustomed to during a normal season. It is a very important race for the team, considering it is the second-to-last of the season, and AlphaTauri is only 7 points behind Williams, and most importantly, 5 points ahead of Alfa Romeo.

Two aggravating factors

The temperatures, which have been rather hot up until now in Las Vegas, are expected to drop in the next two weeks as winter arrives in Nevada. Therefore, the minimum temperatures are predicted to be around 7 degrees during the Grand Prix weekend, with maximum temperatures around 18 degrees.

The second important point is that the race will take place at night. The Grand Prix usually takes place during the day, when the temperatures are the hottest and the asphalt can reach temperatures of up to 50 degrees. In Las Vegas, in the evening, the asphalt will not have much stored energy to release. If the air temperature is around 10 degrees, the asphalt will not be much hotter. This is the difference with other night races like Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Singapore, which are all hot countries.

The disastrous Turkish Grand Prix in 2020

In 2020, the Turkish Grand Prix was added to the calendar to fill the gap caused by the closure of public places and spaces, especially in Europe. Taking place in mid-November 2020, the Grand Prix was held on a very cold track, around 15 degrees, and in difficult conditions as it rained for part of the morning, making the grip very precarious.

The race had been in danger for a while, and the organizers had asked the local “drivers” to come and ride on the track all Friday night to help rubber in the newly resurfaced circuit for the occasion. The race had several twists and turns, including Lance Stroll’s first-ever career pole position for Racing Point (Aston Martin).