Las Vegas Grand Prix: Race Preview

Formula 1 first ventured to Las Vegas in the early 1980s but a circuit laid out in the car park of the Caesars Palace hotel proved widely unpopular among drivers, teams and fans. Las Vegas consequently gained an ignominious place in Formula 1 history, but across the following decades the picture for Formula 1 in the United States was transformed, as the championship’s popularity in the country blossomed.

Formula 1 returned to Las Vegas in 2023, taking over the world-famous Strip, becoming the third annual grand prix in the United States, alongside the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, and the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.

The 6.2km Las Vegas Strip Circuit – the second-longest track on the Formula 1 calendar – encompasses some of Sin City’s most famous landmarks, hotels, casinos and entertainment establishments. The lap includes several lengthy full-throttle sections, including along East Harmon Avenue, Koval Lane, and the Strip itself, with drivers flat out for almost two kilometres as they hurtle along one of the world’s most famous routes.

The lap also takes drivers around the spectacular Sphere, along the fast curves of Sands Avenue, while a challenging left-right-left complex at the end of the Strip provides the best overtaking opportunity. The lengthy full-throttle sections means teams favor a low-downforce set-up while an average lap speed during qualifying of 150mph makes the Las Vegas Strip Circuit among the fastest street circuits in the world.

Teams and drivers also have to contend with the cooler surface temperatures at night, with all of the sessions taking place after sunset. However, this year there has been a revision to the schedule, with qualifying and the race brought forward by two hours to begin at 20:00 local time. Per 2023 and 2024, the Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, meaning track activity begins with practice on Thursday, and qualifying on Friday. 
Esteban Ocon has participated in both editions of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, taking a high of fourth in the inaugural running in 2023, while Oliver Bearman will tackle the event for the first time in 2025. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team enters the Las Vegas Grand Prix in eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship, on 70 points, after scoring in each of the last four events.

The streets of Las Vegas will also play host to F1 Academy for the first time – marking the seventh and final round of this year’s series – with Courtney Crone set to cap her first full season in MoneyGram Haas F1 Team colors.  

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal:

“Coming to Vegas off the back of another strong result, the team has great momentum, and we know what we’re fighting for. With three races remaining, we haven’t changed our mindset or approach, we will attack each race at a time. Vegas is a challenging circuit with a very long straight, different from Interlagos. I think with our car’s characteristics, we can fight anywhere. The challenge is getting both drivers to perform, as Esteban, by his own admission, didn’t get the best out of it in qualifying, although his race pace was amazing. We need to get both drivers qualifying well to score with both cars, which 100 percent we can do. We need to hit the ground running and focus on what we need to do, get the set-up right, and get the most out of the drivers. If we do that, the result will come.”

Ollie Bearman:

“I’m excited about going to Las Vegas, I’ve never been to the West Coast of America. It looks like an incredible circuit driving down the Strip, which is pretty awesome, and a cool weekend in general. Not having raced there, I’ve done the sim before, and it’s very high-speed, with lots of long straights and difficult corners. I think the most interesting part is that the temperature is usually quite low, and the grip is too, which makes life quite interesting for all of us. I think we have a quick car here, and as it’s the final triple-header of the season, we want to be scoring points, so let's get it."

Esteban Ocon:

“The last triple header of the season is upon us, and we’re heading back to shiny Las Vegas for a third time. This truly unique track is incredible to drive with most drivers going pretty much flat out for most of the lap. Driving through the heart of such an iconic city is pretty surreal and still hard to believe that we get to race down the famous Las Vegas Strip. The goal for this weekend will be to maximize the performance of the car and aim for points. We’re in a very close battle in the Constructors’ Championship, so we need to seize every opportunity. We’re all looking forward to the challenge.”