Stable owners are optimistic about the Las Vegas Grand Prix
In two days, Formula 1 will officially return to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982. This brand new urban track is generating a lot of excitement among the officials of the different teams.
The F1 returns to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982. Announced with great fanfare last year, the race will take place on Saturday evening at 22:00, which is 7:00 in the morning in France.
The low temperatures in the city of Nevada will need to be considered by the teams, with only 4 to 5°C. Tire manufacturer Pirelli has decided to bring their softest tire range for this race weekend: the C3 (hard tires), C4 (medium tires), and C5 (soft tires).
The 6,120-kilometer long circuit, with 17 corners and two long straight lines, resembles a speed layout, like Monza. The number of overtakings is likely to be significant.
The stable owners are enthusiastic
Several team leaders expressed their joy, a few days before the race, to see Formula 1 returning to the « capital of gambling ».
Frédéric Vasseur, the director of Ferrari, declared that: « Las Vegas will be challenging, but everyone is anticipating it, so it will be more than just a nighttime race. »
The conditions will be very cold, with a special track. It must be taken as an opportunity. We will have two attempts in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. This weekend may be chaotic, so if we have a good pace, we can try, continued the Frenchman.
Tom McCullough, Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer and Performance Manager, is concerned about the low nighttime temperatures in Las Vegas.
« It’s going to be fun. It will be cold. We have the simulation tools and we have worked as hard as possible to try to understand what the actual grip of this asphalt will be. The key will be to know what makes the tires work. We are not used to taking them to such low temperatures, explains the Brit.
Mike Krack, the executive director of the Greens, is looking forward to driving on this circuit to understand its nuances.
(F) The length of the straight lines and the width of the turns must be taken into account in order to determine if it is a high-speed circuit or more like Monaco. It seems more like a low-impact circuit. And then there are the tires, it looks like it will be one of the coldest circuits, claims the boss of Stroll and Alonso.
Christian Horner, Executive Director of Red Bull, expects a great success, as he told Bloomberg media.
« Street races are always dramatic. We have seen it in Singapore, Azerbaijan, and of course in Monte Carlo. This one promises to be significant. I think it will be one of the most watched events on the sports calendar this year,” explained Horner.
« I was watching Max on a simulator, driving on the circuit, and it looks like a great track. It’s going to be super fast. There will be lots of overtaking opportunities and the tires might be like on ice. That adds another dimension, especially on an urban circuit that can test the drivers and the team to the maximum. We will learn what it takes to get these Pirelli tires up to temperature. Will there be multiple laps in qualifying instead of just one lap? It could be very interesting to see how it plays out, “the British driver exclaimed excitedly.
