Wednesday 30th March 2022

F1 returns to Las Vegas after 40 years

2023 will see three US GPs, including Vegas - let's hope it's better than last time...

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A Las Vegas Grand Prixwill be on the Formula 1 calendar next year, the first time Vegas has hosted a race since 1982. It means that potentially four races could be held in North America, with Montreal, Miami and Texas already in the race schedule for 2022. One of Liberty Media's primary aims in its management of F1 was to expand the appeal of the sport in the USA, to show those viewers that open-wheel cars could do more than circles. Seems like the plan is working...

The new track will be 3.8 miles long, taking in the Las Vegas Strip, the Bellagio fountains, the Paris Casino's Eiffel tower and Caesar's Palace. "The incredible neon lights of Las Vegas will be the backdrop for Formula 1's third race in the US and highlights the enthusiasm and excitement in the US for Formula 1 as the sport continues to grow its global fan base", it says in the press release. Drive to Survive will have also played a key part, surely.

The race itself will take place on a Saturday night in November 2023 (exact date still TBC), and run for 50 laps. The new circuit boasts 14 corners, three straights, and a predicted top speed in excess of 212mph. F1's President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: "There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year. I want to thank everyone who helped deliver this event, especially Governor Sisolak, the Clark County Commission, Steve Hill at the LVCVA, and our local partners."

So far, so good, then, although it does mean another street circuit for these huge new F1 cars to race on. Still, can't be as bad as the last time GP cars raced in Vegas, as shown in this video https://youtu.be/fqfWuqZitms. Held in what was basically a Caesar's Palace car park, it was not exactly an evocative circuit, flat and dull with concrete barriers everywhere. It wasn't popular, lasting just two seasons in the early 1980s. That said, as the last race of the '81 season, it doesn't want for drama, and Murray Walker's commentary is, as always, the perfect accompaniment. If Las Vegas 2023 can provide similar levels of excitement with a more inspiring backdrop, hopefully it'll remain a fixture for a bit longer...

 

Image credit | F1

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[Jas-2jxyw]

Great and all....But what about Sepang...or Hockenheim....

[Augustus Windsock]

Personally I’d love to see a circuit with a couple of straights that are miles long followed by some really twisty intricate and technical sections
That way some might opt to set their cars aero up for the high speed section, some for the twisty bits and some that just take a pegmatite approach and stick their settings somewhere in the middle.
Won’t happen of course but it would make it a bit more interesting for me

[anonymous-user]

Am sure it will be great venue for the spectators, akin to Singapore, but the track design/layout, limited by existing structures does not seem to be too exciting compared to the current set of circuits in the calendar....

[NGK210]

Jas-2jxyw said:

Great and all....But what about Sepang...or Hockenheim....

Indeed.
We really need 3 annual US GPs -audience-fatigue ahoy.
Or perhaps Vegas will replace the dangerous-death-about-to-happen-backward-totalitarian-hellhole Saudi GP?

[SturdyHSV]

Augustus Windsock said:

Personally I’d love to see a circuit with a couple of straights that are miles long followed by some really twisty intricate and technical sections
That way some might opt to set their cars aero up for the high speed section, some for the twisty bits and some that just take a pegmatite approach and stick their settings somewhere in the middle.
Won’t happen of course but it would make it a bit more interesting for me

You'd have enjoyed the Saudi GP then presumably, as that's exactly what happened?

[Ankh87]

Personally think that the US GP should be rotated every year. Pick 2 of the 3 and take it from there.
F1 needs to start to look at lowering the budget to join the calendar as there are so many good tracks that a missing out. There's too many races in the year as it is. Seriously needs to be a limit of 20 or 21 and get some rotation going.

[Zetec-S]

NGK210 said:

Indeed.
We really need 3 annual US GPs -audience-fatigue ahoy.
Or perhaps Vegas will replace the dangerous-death-about-to-happen-backward-totalitarian-hellhole Saudi GP?

To be fair there's about 2000 miles between Miami and Las Vegas (with Austin roughly halfway between). A lot more spread out than the 10 GPs held in Europe.

[LotusOmega375D]

Why don’t they just have all of the F1 races in America? They could even stage half of them on ovals and ensure that the championship always goes down to the last lap of the last race.

[thewarlock]

Aletsch said:

Am sure it will be great venue for the spectators, akin to Singapore, but the track design/layout, limited by existing structures does not seem to be too exciting compared to the current set of circuits in the calendar....

Why do most/all of those have spelling mistakes?

[Turbobanana]

thewarlock said:

Aletsch said:

Am sure it will be great venue for the spectators, akin to Singapore, but the track design/layout, limited by existing structures does not seem to be too exciting compared to the current set of circuits in the calendar....

Why do most/all of those have spelling mistakes?

Clickboot?

[NGK210]

Zetec-S said:

NGK210 said:

Indeed.
We really need 3 annual US GPs -audience-fatigue ahoy.
Or perhaps Vegas will replace the dangerous-death-about-to-happen-backward-totalitarian-hellhole Saudi GP?

To be fair there's about 2000 miles between Miami and Las Vegas (with Austin roughly halfway between). A lot more spread out than the 10 GPs held in Europe.

In theory, fair point. But with IndyCar, and the Canadian GP, also in the mix, it seems a stretch.
Or maybe the viewer stats for the Netflix series suggest another North America race is sustainable?

[thegreenhell]

thewarlock said:

Aletsch said:

Am sure it will be great venue for the spectators, akin to Singapore, but the track design/layout, limited by existing structures does not seem to be too exciting compared to the current set of circuits in the calendar....

Why do most/all of those have spelling mistakes?

It's like one of those computer games where they change all the names slightly to avoid having to pay the licencing fee to use the real names.

[Carl_Manchester]

This news is massive, well done to the FIA.

[Thankyou4calling]

Why are these cities able to mobilise there resources to stage a race when it’s mooted to happen in London every few years and yet nothing ever does.

Is it an example of there being just too much bureaucracy in the UK and not really a can do attitude?

[Antj]

great for the Netflix generation of fans. but really , i thought they learned from 2020 when traditional circuits returned and the real fans were happy....... more city circuits, great.........

i get the feeling the traditional F1 fan does not make as much money for liberty media and that the circus will keep growing to chase the dollar, was always going to happen.

[thegreenhell]

The circus has been chasing the dollar for more than forty years since Bernie Ecclestone first got his claws into it and tried to establish a race in Vegas. This is nothing new.

[DeanHelix]

Augustus Windsock said:

Personally I’d love to see a circuit with a couple of straights that are miles long followed by some really twisty intricate and technical sections
That way some might opt to set their cars aero up for the high speed section, some for the twisty bits and some that just take a pegmatite approach and stick their settings somewhere in the middle.
Won’t happen of course but it would make it a bit more interesting for me

Pegmatite?
I'm not sure what an igneous rock (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegmatite) has to do with F1 chassis setup?

[NGK210]

Thankyou4calling said:

Why are these cities able to mobilise there resources to stage a race when it’s mooted to happen in London every few years and yet nothing ever does.

Is it an example of there being just too much bureaucracy in the UK and not really a can do attitude?

Streets are too narrow, too many traffic-calming obstacles and pedestrian-crossing islands in middle of roads, would be a logistical / congestion nightmare, etc, etc? And whoever would be mayor at time would probably veto on pollution grounds?

[PH User]

SturdyHSV said:

Augustus Windsock said:

Personally I’d love to see a circuit with a couple of straights that are miles long followed by some really twisty intricate and technical sections
That way some might opt to set their cars aero up for the high speed section, some for the twisty bits and some that just take a pegmatite approach and stick their settings somewhere in the middle.
Won’t happen of course but it would make it a bit more interesting for me

You'd have enjoyed the Saudi GP then presumably, as that's exactly what happened?

[thegreenhell]

NGK210 said:

Thankyou4calling said:

Why are these cities able to mobilise there resources to stage a race when it’s mooted to happen in London every few years and yet nothing ever does.

Is it an example of there being just too much bureaucracy in the UK and not really a can do attitude?

Streets are too narrow, too many traffic-calming obstacles and pedestrian-crossing islands in middle of roads, would be a logistical / congestion nightmare, etc, etc? And whoever would be mayor at time would probably veto on pollution grounds?

And too many NIMBYs who would protest it at every stage.